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.)
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