The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) played a decisive role in the United Democratic Front (UDF)’s victory in the Kerala Assembly elections. Acting as a key bulwark, the party secured a record 22 seats and strengthened the confidence of its allies, particularly the Congress in the Malabar region, through clear leadership and its organisational coordination.

The IUML has emerged as the third-largest party in the Assembly, after the Congress and the Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)], and is set to play a crucial role in the upcoming UDF government. While State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal has ruled out any demand for the deputy chief minister’s post, there is a quiet sense within the leadership that the party deserves a larger share in governance.