Kerala Assembly Elections 2026: LDF throws its weight behind IUML rebel in Mankada face-off with Ali

Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) rebel Kunnath Mohammed will contest the April 9 Assembly election from Mankada as an Independent candidate backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF). He will face the IUML’s Manjalamkuzhi Ali, who is seeking a sixth term.

Although the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] initially announced M.P. Alavi as its candidate in Mankada, Polit Bureau member A. Vijayaraghavan on Monday confirmed the party’s decision to withdraw Mr. Alavi and extend support to Mr. Mohammed.

Mr. Vijayaraghavan pointed out that Mr. Mohammed, a former IUML leader with significant local influence, could help the CPI(M) reclaim Mankada, which it lost to the IUML in 2011.

Expelled from IUML

Mr. Mohammed, who had served as IUML’s Mankada constituency president, said he was expelled from the party without a valid reason after opposing the decision to field Mr. Ali once again.

Mr. Alavi, a senior local CPI(M) leader, withdrew his nomination, saying that the party would seize this opportunity to counter Mr. Ali, whom he accused of betraying the party in 2010. “Defeating Mr. Ali is our goal. We support Mr. Mohammed who wields considerable influence in the area. Mr. Ali had betrayed us and it is payback time,” said Mr. Alavi.

Mr. Ali, elected as an LDF-backed Independent in 2001 and 2006, had originally taken Mankada from the IUML using his personal clout. Mankada, made up of Koottilangadi, Mankada, Makkaraparamba, Kuruva, Puzhakkattiri, Angadipuram and Moorkanad panchayats, was an IUML stronghold represented by leaders like C.H. Mohammed Koya (1967), Korambayil Ahamed Haji (1977), and K.P.A. Majeed (1980–1996).

Mr. Ali ended Mr. Majeed’s winning streak in 2001 with a narrow 3,058-vote victory and reinforced his dominance by defeating IUML’s prominent candidate M.K. Muneer by 5,073 votes in 2006.

Supporter of VS

A supporter of former Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan, Mr. Ali later fell out with the CPI(M), resigned in 2010 and joined the IUML. In 2011, Mr. Ali not only defeated the CPI(M) in Perinthalmanna, he helped the IUML win Perinthalmanna as well, and earned a ministerial post in a controversial arrangement. He was re-elected from Perinthalmanna in 2016 and Mankada in 2021.

The IUML has again nominated Mr. Ali for Mankada, recognising his influence and winning potential. However, this decision has unsettled the traditional IUML Kunnath family, prompting Mr. Mohammed to challenge Mr. Ali with the backing of the LDF.