Rumors are rife about possible ministerial candidates from six districts in north Kerala in the United Democratic Front (UDF) cabinet, which is likely to take charge in a week or so.
Chances of a reasonable representation of the region in the government this time are high as 45 of the 102 nominated MLAs are from Kasaragod, Wayanad, Kannur, Kozhikode, Malappuram and Palakkad districts. The Congress and the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) managed to elect 21 candidates each from here. Two front-backed independents, V Kunhikrishnan and TK Govindan, won from Payyannur and Taliparamba, respectively, and Revolutionary Marxist Party’s KK Rema, a UDF associate, also won in Vadakara.
In the Congress, the candidate from Kannur is Sunny Joseph, president of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), who defeated veteran Communist Party of India (Marxist) leader KK Shailaj in Peravoor. AP Anil Kumar, a former minister who has been winning continuously from Wandoor in Malappuram since 2001, is likely to get a cabinet slot. In Kozhikode, District Congress Committee President K. Praveenkumar and KPCC General Secretary K. Jayanth, who won from Koyilanda and Kozhikode North respectively, have a chance. Sumesh Achuthan and VT Balram, nominated MLAs from Chittur and Thrithala respectively, could be considered from Palakkad.
If the UDF decides to ensure minority representation, T. Siddique, who won from Kalpetta this time with a majority of over 45,000 votes, may be inducted into the ministry.
The Congress is likely to get at least 11 to 12 ministerial berths, including the Chief Minister’s berth. Various caste, community and regional equations could come into play while selecting his ministerial candidates.
IUML, which won the highest electoral tally of 22 seats this time, may win four to five ministerial seats. PK Kunhalikutty is a safe bet. Although there is talk that the party would seek the post of deputy minister for him, the top leadership has yet to make such a demand publicly. IUML Panakkad state president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal said recently that no such discussions have taken place so far. Most of the IUML ministers are likely to be from Kozhikode and Malappuram districts, where 18 of its candidates have been elected.
Apart from Mr. Kunhalikutty, other likely names from Malappuram are Manjalamkuzhi Ali, PK Basheer, KM Shaji, TV Ibrahim and Abid Hussain Thangal. From Kozhikode, Parakkal Abdulla is a strong contender. N. Samsudheen (Mannarkkad in Palakkad) and AKM Ashraf (Manjeswaram in Kasaragod) would also be considered.
Published – 06 May 2026 21:02 IST
