By TCN News,
Malappuram: Muslim League Kerala state president yesterday announced the party’s list of candidates to the Assembly elections. General secretary PK Kunjalikkutty will contest from Vengara and secretary Dr MK Muneer from Kozhikode South constituency. Candidates to the constituencies of Guruvayur and Iravipuram have not been announced. There are no women candidates in the list.
The major candidates are secretaries TA Ahmed Kabeer (Mankada) and KNA Qader (Vallikkunnu), national secretary MP Abdussamad Samadani (Kottakkal), and Youth League president KM Shaji (Azheekode) and secretary Adv N Shamsudheen (Mannarkkad). Manjalamkuzhi Ali, who recently joined the League, is the candidate in Perinthalmanna. He was an independent MLA from Mankada supported by the CPI (M) in the last Assembly, but left the LDF camp a few months ago and joined the League, reportedly because of ‘insults’. NA Nellikkunnu, who recently joined the league leaving the INL, is contesting from Kasargod.
Other candidates are PB Abdurazaq (Manjeswaram), Soopi Narikkatteri (Kuttiyadi), C Moin Kutty (Thiruvambadi), VM Ummer Master (Koduvally), UC Raman (Kunnamangalam), K Muhammedunni Haji (Kondotty), PK Abdurabb (Tirurangadi), Abdurahman Randathani (Tanur), PK Basheer (Ernad), C Mammootty (Tirur), P Ubaidulla (Malappuram), Adv M Ummer (Manjeri) and VK Ibrahim Kunju (Kalamassery). Sitting MLAs – CT Ahmedali who is also the Parliamentary Party Leader and K Kutty Ahmed Kutty – are not contesting to the next Assembly. Six sitting MLAs are again contesting, but three are in new constituencies. PMA Salam, who joined the League leaving the INL recently, is not contesting but has been nominated to the party secretariat.
A steering committee has been created to supervise the election activities. ET Muhammed Basheer (MP) is the chairman and KPA Majeed is the convener of the committee. Other members are TPM Sahir, Cherkkalam Abdulla, PV Abdul Vahab, CT Ahammedali, Kutty Ahmed Kutty, MC Mayin Haji and PMA Salam.
The list has put an end to speculations on whether general secretary PK Kunjalikkutty and secretary Dr MK Muneer would contest. Mr Kunjalikkutty has recently been in news for the new revelations in the ice-cream parlour sex scandal, in which he is said to be involved. Many revelations were brought out by the Indiavision news channel, of which Mr Muneer is the chairman. This had reportedly created a serious rift between the two leaders, and it was reflected in the various media interviews they gave. The party members and leaders were on two sides in the issue. However, the huge rally organized by the League on March 6 in Kozhikode stated without doubt that Kunjalikkutty was the most powerful leader in the party. Though said to be against the misrule of the LDF government, the rally was in a way a show of strength of the party and Kunjalikkutty. Several leaders of the UDF were present at the rally which also witnessed the merger of a group of the INL led by Siraj Ibrahim Sait in the Muslim League. While many UDF leaders spoke, Dr Muneer was not reportedly given the chance to speak even though he was listed among the speakers.
All these, added with the mounting pressure regarding the ice-cream scandal case on the party and Kunhalikkutty, had created suspicions that both leaders would not contest. But the League has seemingly taken their candidacy as a matter of the party’s power and strength.