<p>Thiruvananthapuram: A communal campaign against Indian Union Muslim League's woman candidate Fathima Thahliya is snowballing into a major row in Kerala.</p><p>Thahliya is United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from Perambra in Kozhikode where sitting MLA and CPI(M) senior leader T P Ramakrishnan is also in the fray.</p><p>A video of the communally toned campaign against Thahliya from a campaign vehicle of LDF came to the fore recently. </p><p>As it triggered strong resentment, Ramakrishnan, the Left Democratic Front convenor, said on Friday that the LDF did not prepare any such campaign material. He also said that those raising such allegations should give evidence.</p>.Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | EC grants paid holiday to all voters on April 9.<p>Thahliya as well as IUML and Congress leaders strongly flayed the communal campaign.</p><p>While there were reports that the Election Commission sought a report from Ramakrishnan on the basis of a petition of UDF on the matter, Ramakrishnan said that he did not get any communication from the EC.</p><p>It is for the first time that IUML has fielded two women candidates in Kerala Assembly elections. Apart from Thahliya, Jayanthi Rajan, who is national assistant secretary of IUML, is contesting from Koothuparambu.</p><p>Meanwhile, IUML's women wing national general secretary Noorbina Rasheed resigned from the post on Thursday. She had expressed displeasure over lack of representation for Women's League among IUML candidates and also criticised Thahliya's candidacy citing that many other deserving women candidates were denied seats.</p>
<p>Thiruvananthapuram: A communal campaign against Indian Union Muslim League's woman candidate Fathima Thahliya is snowballing into a major row in Kerala.</p><p>Thahliya is United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate from Perambra in Kozhikode where sitting MLA and CPI(M) senior leader T P Ramakrishnan is also in the fray.</p><p>A video of the communally toned campaign against Thahliya from a campaign vehicle of LDF came to the fore recently. </p><p>As it triggered strong resentment, Ramakrishnan, the Left Democratic Front convenor, said on Friday that the LDF did not prepare any such campaign material. He also said that those raising such allegations should give evidence.</p>.Kerala Assembly Elections 2026 | EC grants paid holiday to all voters on April 9.<p>Thahliya as well as IUML and Congress leaders strongly flayed the communal campaign.</p><p>While there were reports that the Election Commission sought a report from Ramakrishnan on the basis of a petition of UDF on the matter, Ramakrishnan said that he did not get any communication from the EC.</p><p>It is for the first time that IUML has fielded two women candidates in Kerala Assembly elections. Apart from Thahliya, Jayanthi Rajan, who is national assistant secretary of IUML, is contesting from Koothuparambu.</p><p>Meanwhile, IUML's women wing national general secretary Noorbina Rasheed resigned from the post on Thursday. She had expressed displeasure over lack of representation for Women's League among IUML candidates and also criticised Thahliya's candidacy citing that many other deserving women candidates were denied seats.</p>