Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | For first time, IUML fields two women candidates

Kozhikode: In a first, the IUML is fielding two women candidates simultaneously in the Kerala Assembly elections to be held on April 9.

Earlier, the IUML had given a seat to each woman in the 1996 and 2021 Assembly elections.

IUML, a key constituent of UDF, on Tuesday announced its list of 25 candidates, including several sitting MLAs and also some new names for the Assembly elections.

According to party leadership, Fathima Thahiliya, a Youth League leader, has been fielded in Perambra in the Kozhikode district, while Jayanthi Rajan, a non-Muslim woman, will contest from Koothuparamba in the Kannur district.

However, the Women League, the party's women's wing, has expressed dissatisfaction over the selection of the candidates.

IUML general secretary PMA Salam said the candidates list, giving prominence to freshers and youths, has proved that all the allegations and campaigns being raised against the party are wrong.

He said IUML is ultimately a secular party giving equal consideration to all sections of people.

"The women candidates have been decided based on their performances so far, winnability, the acceptance in the respective constituencies, and their commitment to the party," Salam told PTI.

He also said the party leadership has tried to give freshers and youths maximum consideration in the candidates list, which mostly comprises the state and national office-bearers of the Youth League.

The IUML, an influential party in the Muslim belt of north Kerala, had first nominated a woman candidate, Khamarunnisa Anwar, in 1996, but she was defeated by senior CPI(M) leader Elamaram Kareem.

The party had then taken 25 years to field another woman, Noorbina Rasheed, in 2021, in the Kozhikode South constituency, who had lost to LDF candidate Ahammed Devarkovil.

Fathima Thahiliya, who began her campaign in Perambra against LDF convenor T P Ramakrishnan, expressed confidence that the pro-UDF wave across the state would help her succeed the seat, presently represented by the Left.

She said she came to know about the candidature only when the party leadership announced it on Tuesday evening.

She also said Perambra cannot be regarded as an LDF stronghold, pointing out the impressive performance of the Congress-led UDF there during the recent civic body polls and the Lok Sabha elections before that.

"So, it is a UDF segment in that way, and the Assembly polls will help to make it more clear," Thahiliya said.

She also said the state is witnessing a strong anti-incumbency wave, and Perambra is no different.

When it was pointed out that Ramakrishnan is seeking his fourth term from the constituency, she asked what big development he has brought to the segment so far.

Jayanthi Rajan, a former panchayat member of the IUML, also expressed happiness about her candidature.

She said as a political activist, she had been part of many elections in her political life so far, but it is the first time that she is contesting in an Assembly election.

The candidate said though she hails from Wayanad, she could soon be one of the common voters of Koothuparamba and win their confidence.

However, the candidature of Thahiliya and Rajan didn't go well with Noorbina Rasheed, a senior Women League leader.

Currently serving as the national secretary of the Women's League, Rasheed on Wednesday expressed strong dissatisfaction over the party's candidate list, alleging that the Women's League had been sidelined.

She questioned the criteria used for selecting candidates and said those named, including Thahiliya and Rajan, were not representatives of the Women's League.

While stating that she accepted the party's candidate list, she reiterated that her remarks reflected the sentiments within the organisation.

"As a member who firmly believes in the party, I am not speaking for positions or personal gains. No matter what posts are offered, I will not leave the party," she said, adding that she had always stood by and protected the organisation.

Rasheed added that she was yet to decide whether to actively campaign for the party's women candidates.

Eminent political analyst G Gopakumar described the IUML leadership's decision to field two women candidates as a "very welcoming and progressive move".

He said IUML is a party that has been playing a key role in the minority politics of the state, and their present move is a "progressive decision."

"There has been a conventional male dominance in that party. At a time when they are being criticised over that male dominance, this candidature of two women assumes great significance," he told PTI.

They deserve more appreciation as one of the seats is given to a person belonging to a Hindu community, he added.