Grant holiday for employees to vote, Kerala SEC tells private firms

The State Election Commission has issued an order requiring employees of private commercial and industrial enterprises to give their employees a holiday on election day so that they can vote in local government elections scheduled to be held in two stages on December 9 and 11.

Thiruvananthapuram, Kollam, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Idukki, Alappuzha and Ernakulam will go to polls on December 9, while Thrissur, Malappuram, Wayanad, Palakkad, Kannur, Kasaragod and Kozhikode will go to polls on December 11. Institutions were also instructed not to cut or reduce salaries due to the holiday. The commission said voters working outside their areas should be given special permission to go to polling stations and vote.