The Kottakkal municipality, though a stronghold of the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), gave uneven fortunes for the party in the recent term. Even after the IUML won 21 of the 32 seats, a rebel candidate backed by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) briefly assumed the municipal chairperson’s role at the end of 2023.
Internal disputes were rampant within the IUML in Kottakkal until very recently. The party’s top leadership had to intervene to resolve a problem that emerged within the United Democratic Front (UDF) because of a rebel candidate of the party in a ward.
Abdu Mangadan, a former IUML councillor, launched himself as a rebel candidate in the Gandhi Nagar ward this election, which strained ties between the Congress and the IUML. When the ward was allocated to the Congress, the IUML’s rebel presence became a point of contention between the two parties.
State chief steps in
IUML State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal stepped in and brokered a deal. Mr. Mangadan will now run as a UDF candidate on the Congress symbol.
