Racing to elect a new government, the volatile southern state last recorded 61.2 per cent voter turnout today.
A headline doing the rounds on an otherwise incident free poll day was the case of Mollywood actress Kavya Madhavan who was under attack for refusing to be part of a queue. Agitated voters objected to her skipping the line and the star returned without casting her vote.
There were also reports of a fraudulent polling machine - polling was adjourned in Vallappuzha, Pattambi.
Enthusiasm remains high in the state where polling began at 8 a.m. - and closes at 5 p.m. Close to 50 per cent had voted in the first six hours.
It's a high-powered electoral battle. While India's ruling Congress is hoping to oust the Left Democratic Front (LDF) in Kerala, it is desperately banking on a win in Tamil Nadu where its alliance partner DMK is the incumbent.
Many voters were surprised to see their favourite stars in their midst, as well as top politicians like Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan and union Defence Minister A.K. Antony.
"It is nice to see people turn out in good numbers to exercise their franchise. One reason why I decided to come and vote early so it could send the message to those who are staying back at home," said Malayalam cine star Suresh Gopi.
Amongst the many thousands who voted was Thiruvallam Bhasi, a journalist from Melbourne who had come all the way to cast his first franchise as an NRI.
"The presiding officer in my booth was surprised to see an NRI voter. I voted by showing my passport. He, in fact, asked me if I came specifically to cast my vote, and I said yes," said Bhasi.
Following are the latest, district-wise numbers:
Thiruvananthapuram - 54.7 pc
Kollam - 58.7 pc
Pathanamthitta - 57.3 pc
Alappey - 64.6 pc
Kottayam - 61.5 pc
Idukki - 59.3 pc
Ernakulam - 64 pc
Thrissur - 62.1 pc
Palghat - 62.5 pc
Malappuram - 60.1 pc
Kozhikode - 64.5 pc
Vayanad - 60.4 pc
Kannur - 66.5 pc
Kasargode - 63.2 pc