IUML Fields Woman Candidate for Kerala Polls After 25 Years

Noorbina Rasheed, leader of the IUML women’s wing, is contesting the election from the Kozhikode South constituency.

(Photo: Accessed by The Quint)

For the first time in 25 years, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is fielding a woman candidate in the Kerala Assembly elections of April 2021.

Noorbina Rasheed, leader of the IUML women's wing, is contesting the election from the Kozhikode South constituency. Kamarunnisa Anwar, the only woman candidate fielded by the IUML earlier lost to CPI(M) in the 1996 elections. On Friday, the IUML announced candidates for 25 of the 27 seats it is contesting from, as an ally of Congress in the United Democratic Front (UDF).

PK Kunhalikutty, the National General Secretary of the IUML, Dr MK Muneer, state secretary of the party, and KPA Majeed, IUML state general secretary are contesting from Vengara, Koduvally and Thiroor respectively.

Kunhalikutty, who recently resigned as Member of Parliament (MP) at the Lok Sabha, will contest from Vengara, the constituency he won in 2016 before getting elected as an MP. He has been elected to the Kerala assembly seven times from 1982.

The IUML also announced that MP Abdussamad Samadani, writer, former MP and MLA, will contest the by-elections for the Lok Sabha seat in Malappuram, which got vacated by Kunhalikutty’s resignation.

IUML leader PV Abdul Wahad will retain his Rajya Sabha seat.

Advocate VE Abdul Gafoor is the candidate for Kalamassery constituency. He is the son of IUML leader VE Ibrahim Kunju, who was arrested for the Palarivattom flyover scam a few months ago and released later. In Azhikode, the IUML has also fielded KM Shaji who was disqualified as an MLA by the Kerala High Court in 2018, for criminalising the 2016 Assembly elections. This order was however stayed by the Supreme Court. Shaji is also facing allegations in a corruption case involving Rs 25 lakh for sanctioning courses in school.

Young leader PK Firoz is being fielded from Thiroor.

UDF-supported independent candidate Dinesh Perumanna will contest in Kunnamangalam.

Other candidates include:

Manjeshwar – AKM Ashraf

Kasargod – NA Nellikunnu

Kuttiyadi – Kalathil Abdulla

Thiruvambady – CP Cheriya Muhammed

Malappurma - P Ubaidulla

Kottakkal - KK Abid Hussain Thangal

Mannarkkad – N Samsudheen

Guruvayoor – KNA Khader

Manjeri – Adv UA Lathif

Ernad - PK Basheer

Mankada – Manjalamkuzhi Ali

Kondotty – TV Ibrahim

(This article was originally published in The News Minute and has been reposted with permission.)