Muslim League prepares to fight Assembly polls at increased places, demanding a minimum of 35 seats with mandalams in every district. It is also eyeing seats in SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami strongholds located in the central districts for which, in-house moves are already underway. The party’s All India Organising Committee Secretary ET Muhammad Basheer went open about League’s demand for more seats the other day. And, Youth League quickly followed suit.
Leaders argue that UDF scraped through the recently held local body elections purely on League gains. The effort is to convince Congress of its weakened state and thereby League’s eligibility for greater representation. Congress leaders contended that League had saved UDF from gross defeat in districts of Kozhikode, Kannur, Wayanad and Malappuram. League is looking to bargain for 35 seats and in the end settle for a 30.
Last Time 24 Seats
League had contested polls from 24 mandalams during Assembly elections of 2016 and made gains in 18. Now with LJD and Kerala Congress out of UDF, there are 22 seats vacant for grabs. The last time, League eked out just one seat to south of Ernakulam, namely Punalur. However this time the party is bent on contesting all districts including in Thiruvananthapuram. And to do this, it will retain the front’s controversial tie-ups with radical outfits like SDPI and Jamaat-e-Islami at Varakala, Karunagapally, Poonjar and Ambalapuzha.
League will ask for seats at Kannur Taliparambu and Kannur constituency. Presently League has five seats in Kasaragod’s Thrikaripur and Kasaragod. It will now ask for Perumbra, Bepur and Kunnamanalam additionally. The party’s interests also lie in Wayanad’s Kalpeta, Pttambi, Pattambi and Ottapallam in Pallakad, and Kunnamangalam and Kodungalur in Thrissur.
Fair Demand: Munvarali Thangal
By expanding seat numbers, League looks to bring into play its feeder organisations to the forefront. Munvarali Thangal however described the demand for additional seats as fair asking. There is no need to misinterpret the demand as pressure tactic, he said in an online interview on social media.
League Taking Over UDF Leadership : V Muraleedharan
PK Kunjalikutty’s return to state politics is goaled to pass UDF leadership into League’s hands, said Union Deputy Minister V Muraleedharan. There is a lot of concern over this inside UDF, said Muraleedharan while speaking to media after inaugurating renovated press club at Palakkad. On other things, Muraleedharan said, Shoba Surendran was not keeping away. She is active at her forum, It is media that claims of her open dissent. Have not known of such issue directly, he said.
