(From left) PK Kunhalikutty, PMA Sameer and Syed Abid Husain Thangal after winning the assembly elections by a wide margin. | Photo credit: SAKEER HUSSAIN
Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) national general secretary PK Kunhalikutty has re-emphasized his position as one of the most influential leaders in Kerala politics with a record victory in Malappuram in this assembly election.
The IUML leader secured a massive victory margin of 85,327 votes over Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate KT Mujeeb Rahman in Malappuram, setting a new benchmark in Kerala’s electoral history. He got 131,632 votes in Malappuram.
The result marks a strong comeback for the IUML veteran who has been a central figure in Kerala politics for decades. Mr. Kunhalikutty represented the IUML in the 7th, 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 13th, 14th and 15th Kerala Assemblies and also served once in the Lok Sabha.
He began his legislative journey in 1982 and since then has remained one of the most recognizable faces of the party. The only electoral defeat in his long career came in Kuttippuram where he was defeated by former Youth League leader KT Jaleel in 2006. He also spent a five-year hiatus from 2006 to 2011 following this failure, a period he appears to have used for political recalibration.
In these elections, Mr. Kunhalikutty made a strategic move from Vengara to Malappuram, the district headquarters constituency. Party observers believe the move reflected both political timing and organizational strategy, as the IUML expected a strong performance by the United Democratic Front (UDF) in the elections.
His victory is also part of a wider pattern of strong IUML performances across the region. In Tirurangadi, PMA Sameer won by 63,387 votes while Syed Abid Hussain Thangal secured a lead of 62,638 votes in Kottakkal.
In most constituencies in Malappuram district, IUML candidates registered comfortable victories, often by wide margins, underscoring the party’s solid voter base in the region.
Published – May 5, 2026 11:41 PM IST
