The United Democratic Front’s landslide victory in the Kerala Assembly elections was largely due to the strong performance of the Indian Muslim League, especially in its stronghold of Malappuram and across the Malabar region. The elections also marked a milestone as Fatima Dhuhliya became the first woman to be elected as an MLA on an IUML ticket.
The UDF, the second largest UDF partner after the Congress, won 22 of the 27 seats it contested, its highest ever number. It swept all 12 seats in Malappuram, while the Congress bagged the remaining four seats in the district.
The party also registered surprise victories in constituencies such as Kalamassery and Perambra. In Kalamassery, its candidate V E Abdul Ghafoor defeated Communist Party of India leader and Industry Minister P Rajeev. In Perambra, Fatima Dhiliya, the main leader of the party’s women’s wing, defeated CPI(M) veteran T P Ramakrishnan by 5,087 votes.
PK Kunhalikutty, the IMF’s top commander in the state, registered the highest margin of victory in the state’s history, winning by 85,327 votes from Malappuram. Other prominent leaders, including PK Bashir, PK Fros, KM Shaji and T V Ibrahim, also won from their respective constituencies.
The IUC lost in five seats – Kothuparamba, Punalur, Guruvayur, Ajikode and Chilakara. Her other candidate, Jayanthi Rajan, lost to the RJD in Koothuparamba.
In contrast, the Kerala Congress led by Jose Mani, a partner in the Left Democratic Front, suffered a complete defeat. All 12 of its candidates, including Mani himself, were defeated in Pala. This is the first time since the party was formed in 1979 that it failed to win a single seat. The party had five MLAs in the outgoing Assembly.
In central Travancore, where Christians, especially Catholics, have great influence, the LDF faced an overwhelming backlash, leading to the defeat of all KC (Maoist) candidates.
