More than 50 elected members in local bodies disqualified under anti-defection law in the past five years in Kerala

More than 50 elected members of local bodies in Kerala were disqualified under the anti-defection law following the 2020 local body polls, according to State Election Commission data.

Majority of the members are from grama panchayats while others are municipal councillors.

They were disqualified under the provisions of the Kerala Local Government (Prohibition of Party) Act. Following the 2020 local body polls, new governing councils took over in December 2020.

The highest number of disqualifications under the law occurred in 2024 with 22 disqualifications. This year, 19 people were disqualified. Once disqualified, they are banned from participating in local body elections for six years.

The law lays out in detail the scenarios under which an elected member in a panchayat, municipality or Corporation may be disqualified and the actions that may arise in case of separation. The commission takes action on complaints regarding scenarios where an elected member renounces party membership, violates party rule, or a candidate who wins as an Independent joins a political party.

But these are not the only cases of disqualification. While announcing the 2025 local body elections on Monday, State Election Commissioner A. Shajahan had stated that nearly 10,000 candidates who participated in the 2020 local body elections were disqualified for not reporting their election expenses.