Thiruvananthapuram, March 19: The Sabarimala temple opened on Thursday morning for the "Uthram festival" at the hill shrine in Kerala, which will remain open till March 28. Covid-19 negative certificate is mandatory for devotees who want to visit the temple.

The issue of Sabarimala women's entry is back in the limelight in the state, as both the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and BJP-led National Democratic Front (NDA) are using it as a major poll plank for campaigning in the ensuing assembly election.

Yesterday, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said the state government will take a decision after consulting with all believers once the final verdict on the temple comes, both Congress and BJP mounted pressure on the Left to clarify if they would submit a new affidavit in Supreme Court on Sabarimala.

The election for 140-member Kerala Assembly will be held on April 6. The counting of votes will take place on May 2.

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