Voting for the first phase of local body elections began in Kerala, covering seven of the 14 districts.Reports from across the state said the voting is brisk in rural areas while it is yet to pick up in corporations and municipal towns.No untoward incident had been reported from anywhere. The districts where polling is taking place are Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanthitta, Kozhiode, Waynad, Kannur and Kasargod. More than one crore voters are expected to exercise their franchise.A total of 9,238 seats are up for grabs spread around three-tier panchayats and urban civic bodies in today's polls.About 29,000 candidates are in the fray for the elections fought on political lines, mainly between the ruling CPI-M led LDF and the Congress-controlled UDF.Half of the total seats are reserved for women.Election to remaining seven districts- Alappuzha, Idukki, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Thrissur, Palakkad and Malappuram’would be held on October 25.Counting would be held on October 27.