Thiruvananthapuram | Kerala Governor Rajendra Vishwanath Arlekar on Thursday cast his vote here and appealed to the public to exercise their franchise.

Arlekar voted at a polling booth in Jawahar Nagar in the Vattiyoorkavu constituency.

The governor said he felt fortunate to vote for the first time in a Kerala Assembly election.

"Hoping that good people get elected. The government we want will come, and there is no doubt about that," he said.

He added that he was extremely happy to exercise his franchise.

"I request all the people in the state to come out in large numbers and perform their sacred duty," he said.

Polling in all 140 Assembly constituencies in Kerala commenced at 7 am.

The crucial elections will decide whether the ruling LDF will secure a straight third term, whether the UDF will make a comeback, or whether the BJP will spring a surprise in an otherwise bipolar contest.