IUML to seek larger seat share in UDF following local body success
Jan 06, 2026
Mallapuram (Kerala) [India], January 6 : Ahead of the upcoming Kerala assembly elections, United Democratic Front ally Indian Union Muslim League is planning to raise the demand for more seats within the alliance, based on the party's recent performance in the state civic polls.
Earlier on Sunday, IUML president Syed Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal confirmed that his party will seek more seats in the upcoming Assembly elections. He stated that IUML will contest in its existing constituencies and that candidates will be announced at an early stage, with women to be given priority.
"The Indian Union Muslim League will seek a higher number of seats in the upcoming Assembly elections. The exact number of seats to be demanded has not yet been finalised. The League will contest in its existing constituencies, and candidates will be announced at an early stage. Women will be given priority in the candidate list... Seat-sharing decisions will be made purely based on winning prospects. The Muslim League has no political alliance with the Welfare Party of India," the IUML chief told ANI on Sunday.
IUML recorded a significant surge in its performance in the latest local body elections, further cementing its position as Kerala's 3rd largest political party after the Congress and the CPM.
Excluding party-backed independents, IUML candidates won 2,844 seats, up 713 from the 2,131 secured in the 2020 elections, including all tiers of local governance corporations, municipalities and the three-tier panchayat.
The party's total seat tally rose to 3,203, up from 2,338 in 2020, a net gain of 865 seats.
Congress-led UDF emerged as the biggest winner in the heart of the battle, leading in 505 of the 941 Grama Panchayats until 9 pm on December 13, 2025. The Left Democratic Front (LDF) suffered a setback, with a majority in only 340 Grama Panchayats. NDA led with 26, while AAP won three, according to the State Election Commission
The major political battle in Kerala is between the United Democratic Front, led by the Congress, and the Communist Party of India (Marxist)'s Left Democratic Front. The state is set to witness elections in the first half of this year.
