Four north Kerala districts are going to the poll today in the final round of a fiercely contested local body election in the state. The election assumes much significance as it being held four months before the assembly elections due in April-May.

Nearly 9 million voters will exercise their franchise to elect 354 local bodies and two corporations, Kozhikode and Kannur. Chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan cast his vote at junior basic school in Pinarayi village along with his family. After exercising his vote, the CM said the ruling Left Democratic Front will better its tally this time as people will give a befitting reply to a malicious campaign unleashed by Opposition Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

There is a strict vigil in some of polling booths in Kannur and Kasaragod districts as they are notorious for bogus voting and impersonation. Last week, the high court had ordered the two district administrations to ensure smooth polling. The state election commission has deputed 52,285 officials for the polling duty and installed CCTVs in sensitive polling stations.

The main fight is between CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front and Congress-controlled United Democratic Front but the BJP-led National Development Front is posing a serious challenge to both fronts in certain pockets.

The Left parties usually perform well in local body elections but this time, the situation is not so easy for them as the government is mired in a number of controversies. CM’s former secretary M Sivasankar is in jail in connection with the gold smuggling case and CPI(M) state secretary Kodiyeri Balakrishnan’s son Bineesh Kodiyeri is in Bengaluru jail in connection with a money laundering case related to narcotics drug haul.

Counting of the all three phases will be held on December 16.