A short while from now, the counting of votes polled in the high-stakes, April 9 State Assembly elections will kick off in 140 counting centres across 43 locations in Kerala.

The southern State, which has 140 constituencies, had witnessed a high-voltage electoral battle between the ruling CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) this time. The National Democratic Alliance (NDA) led by the BJP, which is hoping to reopen its account in the Assembly, remains a strong contender in several key segments.