Koyilandy MLA Kanathil Jameela no more

Kozhikode: Kanathil Jameela, the CPM MLA from Koyilandy, died on Saturday while undergoing treatment for cancer at a private hospital in Kozhikode. She was the first woman MLA from Kerala’s Muslim Mappila community.

Jameela had been unwell for several days and was receiving medical care when she passed away. A prominent CPM leader, she entered public life from the grassroots and rose through various local administrative roles.

Key political roles and achievements

She began her career as a literacy mission worker in 1992 before stepping into electoral politics in 1995 to represent her ward in Thalakkulathur panchayat. What she described as “beginner’s luck” helped her become the panchayat president soon after entering the fray.

Jameela’s administrative path reflected a clear, consistent rise. She served as standing committee chairperson for welfare in Thalakkulathur panchayat from 2000 to 2005.

She then became president of the Chelannur block panchayat between 2005 and 2010.

In 2010, she was elected Kozhikode district panchayat president and returned to the same post in 2020, becoming one of the most admired leaders to have held the role. Her long years in welfare and block-level administration helped strengthen her reputation further.

She held leadership positions across all three tiers of the panchayat system. A key part of her legacy was her active role in People’s Planning in Kerala. This decentralised planning process involves citizens in identifying local development needs and creating project proposals. Jameela used this system to engage communities directly, ensuring that citizens’ voices shaped the allocation of resources and the execution of development projects. Her work helped familiarise residents with gramasabhas, neighbourhood committees, and other participatory governance mechanisms, making local democracy more inclusive and effective.

Her career was marked by hands-on community development, including initiatives to bring electricity to rural villages, provide drinking water in underserved colonies, and improve infrastructure like roads, toilets, and housing. She promoted women’s empowerment, community welfare, and local development.

Some of her notable initiatives included Snehasparsham, financial aid for kidney patients; a mission-mode project to make Kerala landless-free; a cancer detection programme for women; KARUNA, a non-violent stray dog management project; and district-level programmes to promote sports and education.

Personal background

She is native of Choyikulam, Atholi. Her husband is Kanathil Abdurahman. Their children are Ayrij Rahman and Anooja.