Indian Union Muslim League’s makeover from an ally to an electoral powerhouse in Kerala

It was astir 10.30 a.m. connected May 4, 2026, erstwhile Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) nationalist wide caput P.K. Kunhalikutty’s car eased retired of his location astatine Karathodu, adjacent Panakkad, successful Malappuram territory of Kerala.

The ambiance was already charged arsenic the Kerala Assembly predetermination ballot counting was nether way. The car did not question far. It turned into adjacent Panakkad and stopped astatine the residence of IUML State president Syed Sadik Ali Shihab Thangal.

Inside, the temper was electric. IUML workers had gathered successful ample numbers astatine the enactment supremo’s residence. Anticipation turned into solemnisation arsenic results firmed up and a historical Assembly predetermination triumph became clear. Slogans roseate successful waves, and the Thangal’s courtyard filled with sound and movement. A visibly elated Kunhalikutty stepped successful and embraced the Thangal.

For a little moment, the solemnisation seemed to pause, arsenic the standard of the triumph began to descend in.

The communicative of the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) instrumentality to powerfulness successful Kerala aft a decennary is, successful galore ways, besides the communicative of the IUML evolving from a dependable state into the coalition’s most-disciplined governmental machine. While the Congress remained the UDF’s main face, the IUML provided overmuch of the organisational spot and societal cohesion that drove the alliance’s success, particularly successful the Malabar region.

The fig game

The numbers bespeak the governmental clout of the enactment successful the Malabar portion arsenic it secured an 11.01% ballot share, astir connected par with the BJP’s 11.42%.

But dissimilar the BJP, which fought mostly connected its own, the IUML achieved this arsenic portion of a coalition, amplifying its prominence wrong the UDF.

While the Congress won 63 of the 95 seats it contested (a 66.32% onslaught rate), the enactment won 22 of the 27 seats with a onslaught complaint of 81.48%.

Besides Kunhalikutty’s triumph from the Malappuram Assembly constituency with a grounds borderline of 85,327 votes, P.M.A. Sameer successful Tirurangadi with a borderline of 63,387 votes and Abid Hussain Thangal successful Kottakkal with a borderline 62,638 votes became the apical performers successful the State.

But for the League’s leadership, the predetermination was ne'er astir numbers alone. Across Kerala, the enactment began preparations agelong earlier the elections were announced. The organisational machinery was activated good successful advance.

“We began with the meticulous vetting of the voters’ lists,” says enactment State wide caput P.M.A. Salam, and “completed it successful a time-bound manner.”

C.P. Saidalavi, State vice-president, notes that the canvass preparations began from the signifier of electoral database revision itself. “We remained alert from the Special Intensive Revision signifier of the list,” helium says. “Voter enrolment, documentation and booth-level enactment were handled carefully.”

It was Team IUML each the way. Leaders travelled crossed constituencies and relentlessly campaigned for the front. At the centre stood the Thangal, whose enactment was seen some arsenic organisational and symbolic.

The run unfolded successful a wider governmental clime that, the IUML leaders felt, was progressively charged.

Abdurahman Randathani, State caput of the party, notes that sections of the Left Democratic Front (LDF), particularly the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], supported narratives that echoed Sangh Parivar's politics. “Communal campaigns were allowed to continue. The LDF did not halt them; successful fact, it encouraged them. The remarks by immoderate leaders of societal organisations were an example.”

He besides says that the reported remarks by the past Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, astir Malappuram caused heavy resentment. “Statements suggesting that the radical of Malappuram were engaged successful hawala and golden smuggling done the Karipur airdrome caused heavy wounded arsenic it was directed against an full community,” helium notes.

Kunhalikutty sidestepped immoderate of the caustic comments against the territory and the assemblage members.

The enactment besides displayed restraint during immoderate of the raging controversies specified arsenic the Munambam Waqf onshore issue, wherever the residents of the coastal colony launched a protestation nether the enactment of a Church-led organisation against the determination of the Kerala State Waqf Board to enlist the holding arsenic a Waqf. The contented had attained communal overtones and threatened to disrupt communal amity. “The mode the IUML handled the Munambam contented was an illustration of its societal restraint,” says Randathani.

The outreach extended further done the enactment State president’s Statewide yatra, which included meetings with leaders of aggregate communities. “It strengthened the IUML’s secular image,” says Randathani.

Support to Satheesan

The enactment powerfully backed V.D. Satheesan during the enactment of the UDF’s Chief Minister candidate. League leaders accidental this was natural.

Satheesan and the IUML shared a beardown communal trust, which matured implicit the years. His governmental benignant matched the League’s outreach, particularly his engagement with number communities. He had besides defended the IUML during the earlier governmental controversies, accidental immoderate of the League leaders.

Social engineering

As the IUML came nether concerted attacks loaded with Islamophobic narratives, the enactment began attracting much non-Muslim members to its fold. In Kollam, dozens of activists of the Janadhipathya Samrakshana Samiti (JSS), a governmental enactment established by the erstwhile communist person K.R. Gowri, joined the IUML. Among them were JSS Kollam caput Sudhakaran Pallath and State enforcement subordinate Kulakkada Rajendran, who accidental the League’s secular stance attracted them.

“We expect much workers to articulation us,” says IUML Kollam president Noushad Younus.

Three-time Anchal panchayat president and CPI(M) Kollam territory committee subordinate Suja Chandrababu joined the IUML successful January. She was considered for a wide spot this predetermination but was dropped astatine the past infinitesimal owed to constraints, according to the Thangal.

The IUML besides counts Njeralathu Harigovindan, Sopanasangeetham vocalist and edakka exponent, who joined the enactment earlier the Assembly polls, among its salient caller voices. “I grew up successful Malappuram and cognize what the League stood for,” helium says. Facing blistering attacks connected societal media for joining the IUML, helium says Islamophobic narratives person go unbearable. “The League has proved its secular quality implicit decades,” helium says.

At the aforesaid time, the IUML acted firmly against organisational lapses. The enactment condemned workers who displayed a goat’s caput during celebrations pursuing erstwhile Minister K.T. Jaleel’s decision successful Thavanur. The Youth League suspended its Idukki territory committee aft workers raised volatile slogans against immoderate societal organisations during a protestation march.

“Which different enactment acts with specified work successful Kerala? It shows however overmuch the IUML cares astir societal harmony,” asks Harigovindan.

Though viewed arsenic a community-based party, the IUML has had salient non-Muslim leaders earlier too. U.C. Raman served 2 presumption arsenic MLA from Kunnamangalam, which was a reserved constituency successful 2001 and 2006. He unsuccessfully contested from the aforesaid constituency arsenic a enactment campaigner erstwhile it became a wide seat.

The enactment made A.P. Unnikrishnan the Malappuram territory panchayat president successful 2015. His girl A P. Smiji is present the vice-president of the territory panchayat.

Leaders besides accidental the League consciously deflected attempts by right-wing forces to task it arsenic either “controlling the Congress” oregon functioning arsenic a communal unit successful power.

“We ne'er wanted to autumn into the traps acceptable by definite forces, truthful we person been cautious successful our responses. The Left, which supported the communal elements, ended up paying a terms for it,” observes K.P.A. Majeed, erstwhile IUML State wide secretary.

Symbolic choices

The League besides displayed calibrated symbolic and governmental choices cautiously astatine the swearing-in ceremonial of its Cabinet Ministers this clip arsenic they took their oath successful God’s name, similar their Congress colleagues, departing from the earlier signifier of invoking Allah.

Kunhalikutty besides did not deterioration the fur cap, often associated with Muslim identity, to the function, which helium had worn during the 2011 ceremony. Together, these moves signalled a subtle alteration successful its governmental code and nationalist appearance.

Shifting patterns

The existent governmental play saw the enactment successfully trying caller representational patterns successful selecting the candidates. For the archetypal time, it fielded 2 women candidates, starring to the predetermination of Fathima Thahiliya, a young councillor of the Kozhikode Corporation, arsenic the party’s archetypal pistillate MLA successful Kerala.

Jayanthi Rajan, the party’s nationalist adjunct caput and a Dalit pistillate from Wayanad, the 2nd pistillate campaigner fielded by the League successful the Assembly elections, mislaid the Koothuparamba spot by a wafer-thin borderline of 1,286 votes.

Najma Thabsheera, nationalist caput of the Youth League, notes that “every IUML idiosyncratic was focussed connected winning arsenic they felt this was the past autobus for the party.”

“We were profoundly acrophobic astir the increasing communal polarisation and the harm being done to the societal fabric. We chose to enactment wholly governmental and approached issues politically,” says Thabsheera, who is besides the president of the Perinthalmanna artifact panchayat.

Welfare activities

The enactment besides invested heavy connected humanitarian and payment activities, which, galore leaders believe, generated governmental goodwill crossed respective constituencies and contributed to the triumph of respective Congress leaders. The enactment played a important relation successful the triumph of V.S. Joy, a Christian candidate, against K.T. Jaleel, a Muslim look of the CPI (M) successful Thavanur, and Sandeep Varier, a Hindu campaigner who near the BJP to articulation the Congress, successful the Thrikkaripur constituency.

“We worked successful tandem with the Congress,” says Majeed. “There was exceptional bonhomie and camaraderie successful each the constituencies wherever the beforehand contested.”

Ultimately, the enactment has recovered its relation extended acold beyond the 22 seats, its champion electoral performance. Besides regaining its governmental value aft being forced to beryllium successful the Opposition for a decade, it has besides recovered a caller relation arsenic a span crossed communities. For galore wrong the League, the predetermination was not conscionable astir power, but astir preserving Kerala’s societal cloth too.