India, Nov. 25 -- With Monday marking the final date of withdrawal of nominations for the upcoming elections to the three-tier local bodies in Kerala, major fronts such as the LDF, UDF, and NDA are forced to grapple with rebel candidates in several key pockets of their influence.

Though parties like the CPI(M), CPI, Congress, Kerala Congress (M) and BJP initiated discussions and were successful in persuading several of their rebel leaders to withdraw their nomination papers, the reality is that the number still remains high.

In Thiruvananthapuram Corporation election, both the LDF and the UDF have rebel candidates in at least five wards. In Kochi Corporation, the UDF faces rebel candidates in at least 9 seats. It is a key urban civic bo...