Kochi, December 10: Wearing PPE kits, coronavirus-infected voters cast their votes in the second phase of municipal elections in Kerala on Thursday. COVID-19 positive patients and those in quarantine were allotted an hour after 6 pm to cast their votes. Pictures shared by news agency ANI showed COVID-19 positive voters in PPE kits casting their votes at a polling station in Kochi's Thrikkakkara. The official polling time is from 7 am to 6 pm.

Presently, there are 59,517 active cases in Kerala. As of Thursday evening, 3,16,491 persons were under observation at various places in the state, including 13,924 in hospitals. The state has reported 2,533 fatalities due to COVID-19 so far. On a positive note, 5,91,845 people have recovered so far. All Police Stations in Kerala to Become Child-friendly, Says DGP Loknath Behera.

Wearing PPE Kits, COVID-19 Positive Voters Cast Vote in Kerala:

The second phase of Kerala's civic polls in Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Wayanad witnessed a very enthusiastic response from the electorate as there was 76 percent voter turnout till 6:30 pm.

The most keenly awaited contest will be the one at Ernakulam where the ruling CPI-M led Pinarayi Vijayan's Left Democratic Front is determined to wrest the Cochin Corporation, which for the past two terms are with the Congress-led UDF. Likewise in Kottayam, it's a do or die battle between once former close aides and belonged to the Kerala Congress (Mani). The first phase of polls was held on Tuesday.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 10, 2020 09:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).