Kozhikode: Though the UDF is yet to finalise the candidate in Kunnamangalam as there is a move to hand it over to the Congress in exchange for Balussery, the Muslim Youth League (MYL) has started pasting posters across the constituency with the IUML’s ladder as the symbol without naming the candidate.
After the reports about the exchange of the seat came up, MYL constituency as well as panchayat office-bearers had sent letters to the district committee seeking leave until the elections in protest. Four days ago, a meeting of the members was held in the presence of the district committee members, but no consensus was reached. The MYL said that the IUML had contested thrice in a row from Kunnamangalam, where it won twice and lost for 3,269 votes last time.
The IUML is still confused about taking over Chadayamangalam, which the Congress had offered instead of Eravipuram. It fears that it cannot win from the CPM-stronghold and that Karunagapally is a better option. If it retains Kunnamangalam, it would be losing a chance to contest from a southern constituency.
Moreover, IUML’s probable candidate P.K. Firos is facing strong protest from Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama, the prominent Sunni scholars’ body, after his opposition to lowering the marriageable age of Muslim girls and his Facebook post against holding processions during Milad-E Sharif.
