Malappuram: The Indian Union Muslim League’s (IUML) demand for a third seat in the Lok Sabha is concentrated in the Kannur area. Even the Congress agrees that the  League is entitled to additional seats. However, the main hindrance is the practical problems related to allocating seats. The League’s Kannur hope is based on the idea that KPCC president K Sudhakaran will not contest from here again.

The League state leadership believes that the party can establish victory in Kannur. Reports suggest that the Kannur district committee has been asked to assess the voting status and the political situation in the constituency. The league is of the opinion that putting up such a united front in the constituency will help repeat the UPA wave in Kerala. The League reckons that victory will be easier if Rahul Gandhi contests from Wayanad again. In the last elections, K. Sudhakaran won the Kannur seat with 94,559 votes.

IUML had raised this demand for more seats during the last Lok Sabha elections as well. However, the party agreed to a compromise when it was pointed out that the Congress needed more seats at the national level. This time though, there is a strong feeling within the party that the leadership should not bow down to such ‘compromises’. 

Last month, the IUML passed a resolution demanding more representation in the I.N.D.I.A front and a third seat in Kerala. Malappuram and Ponnani are the sitting seats of the League out of the 20 constituencies in Kerala. The League had earlier estimated that out of the 16 seats contested by the Congress, it could win Wayanad, Vadakara, Kasaragod, Kannur and Kozhikode. However, Congress did not show much enthusiasm to this proposal as the chances of ceding those seats are slim. Nevertheless, with reports of K. Sudhakaran not contesting from Kannur, the IUML is now hopeful.