MALAPPURAM: The five IUML ministers will contest from their sitting seats in the upcoming Assembly elections as Muslim League declared their candidate list here on Thursday.
As expected, the 20-strong candidate list also includes three new faces. K K Abid Hussain Thangal, T V Ibrahim and M A Razaq Master will try their luck in the much-anticipated polls this term. The three will contest from Kottakkal, Kondotty and Koduvalli constituencies, respectively. The names of the remaining contestants to the four constituencies- Kuttiady, Iravipuram, Kunnamangalam and Guruvayur-would be announced later, said party president Panakkad Hyderali Shihab Thangal at the press meet.
As per the announcement, Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty will contest from Vengara while P Ubaidulla MLA will remain in Malappuram.Contrary to the reports that he would switch to Mankada seat, Urban Affairs Minister Manjalamkuzhi Ali will once again test his popularity with the voters in Perinthalmanna.Education Minister P K Abdu Rabb will be running for the polls this time again from his home constituency Tirurangadi whereas Social Welfare Minister M K Muneer hopes to win another term from Kozhikode South constituency.There is no change in seat-sharing among the sitting League MLAs when the party declared that T A Ahammed Kabeer (Mankada), P K Basheer (Eranad), M Ummar (Manjeri), K M Shaji (Azheekode), Abdul Razak P B (Manjeswaram), A N Shamsudheen (Mannarkkkad), N A Nellikkunnu (Kasargod), Abdul Rahman Randathani (Tanur) and C Mammootty (Tirur) will remain in their respective Assembly segments.
The party announced that sitting MLA K N A Khader would take charge as the new Malappuram district secretary while the outgoing secretary Abdul Hameed Master moves to the election mode as candidate from Vallikkunnu.In another role reversal, the party’s district secretary M A Razaq Master will become the new contestant in the Koduvalli seat while Thiruvambady MLA C Moyinkutty will step up to fill the void as the district secretary. Meanwhile, Kunhalikutty promised that the party would ensure the representation of Dalit and Youth leaders when the next list of the candidates is announced. Sources close to the party suggested that that Muslim League might exchange the remaining four seats with the Congress.