In Kerala, the first phase of local body elections is witnessing very high voter turnout in the initial hours of polling today. AIR correspondent reports that, over 48.67 % polling has been recorded in the 5 districts till 1 pm. So far Alapuzha district had recorded the highest polling percentage and Thiruvananthapuram the lowest.<br />'' <br />''<span style="color: #222222;">According to turnout figures by the State Election Commission ,45.63% polling  is recorded Thiruvananthapuram, 49.20 % in Kollam, 49.76 % in Pathanamthitta , 51.32% in Alappuzha and 50.36% % in Idukki. Most of the polling booths are witnessing high rush of voters from morning .Voting began from 7 in the morning  and will continue till 6 pm abiding to covid protocols. The local body election in the State is likely to witness a strong triangular contest between the three major political coalitions in Kerala, CPM- led LDF, Congress-led UDF and the BJP-led NDA. </span><br />