According to the ECI, approximately 2.18 lakh polling booths will be set up and it will be managed by 2.5 million election officials. File
| Photo Credit: The Hindu
The Election Commission of India (ECI) announced the much-awaited election schedule for the Kerala Assembly election on Sunday (March 15, 2026). The State will hold polling in a single phase on April 9, 2026, with vote counting scheduled for May 4, 2026.
Also read: Assembly elections 2026 schedule highlights
According to the ECI, Kerala has a total of 140 constituencies. Kerala, currently governed by the Left Democratic Front, is poised for a tightly contested election against the United Democratic Front, while the National Democratic Alliance aims to strengthen its hold in the State.
This election will see 2.71 crore registered voters (including 1.31 crore male voters, 1.38 crore female voters and 277 transgender persons) and a total of 25,231 polling stations. The current term of the Kerala Legislative Assembly is set to conclude on May 23, 2026.
Following the announcement of the schedule, the Model Code of Conduct is now in immediate effect in the States and Union Territories preparing for elections.
Elections in Puducherry and Assam will also happen alongside Kerala.
Major dates to note
Date of Issue of Gazette Notification: March 16, 2026
Last date for nominations: March 23, 2026
Scrutiny of nominations: March 24, 2026
Last date for withdrawal: March 26, 2026
Date of voting: April 9, 2026
Counting of votes: May 4, 2026
Date before which election shall be completed: May 6, 2026 (Wednesday)
Published – March 15, 2026 06:26 pm IST
