Kerala polls 2026: IUML fields two women for the first time in assembly elections

KOZHIKODE: Seventy-five years after its formation, IUML has fielded two women candidates, the highest in its history in Kerala, including a non-Muslim face. The move marks a shift for the party, which has long been cautious about gender representation due to opposition from clerics.

The party has presented a multi-woman slate in an election, an incremental step from 2021 when it fielded Noorbina Rasheed in Kozhikode South after a gap of 25 years.But neither of the two women candidates was fielded in a sitting seat. Sources indicated that candidates for Chelakkara, Punalur and Chadayamangalam are yet to be announced and there could be further diversity in the final list. IUML has fielded party national assistant secretary Jayanthi Rajan in Koothuparamba and Fathima Thahiliya in Perambra.

IUML state general secretary PMA Salam said this is the first time the party had included two women in its candidate list. “We still have two more seats to announce and the full picture will become clear then,” he said, hinting at the possibility of further surprises.Reacting to her candidature, Rajan said that IUML had consistently upheld the politics of communal harmony and that she has experienced acceptance and support within the party.

She, along with Fathima Muzaffar from Tamil Nadu, became the first women to join the party national committee and were appointed as assistant secretaries.Hailing from Irulam in Wayanad, Rajan also served as national secretary of Women’s League. Hailing from a dalit community, she had also served as member of Panamaram block panchayat and Poothayi grama panchayat.Meanwhile, Thahiliya is a former state general secretary of Haritha, the women’s wing of the party’s student outfit Muslim Students Federation (MSF).

She worked on gender equity and representation, recently won from Kuttichira division of Kozhikode Corporation and also served as state secretary of Youth League and national vice-president of MSF.Historically, IUML deviated from its all-male candidate pattern only twice. In 1996, Khamarunnisa Anwar was fielded from Calicut II (now Kozhikode South) and in 2021, Noorbina Rasheed contested from Kozhikode South.For decades, IUML has tried to balance the growing demands for greater women representation while powerful clerical bodies have advocated a conservative stance.