Fathima Thahiliya has created history by becoming the first woman from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) to enter the Kerala Assembly. Her victory in Perambra against Left Democratic Front (LDF) convener T.P. Ramakrishnan by a margin of 5,087 votes marks a significant milestone—not just for her, but for the party as well.
A former Haritha leader and practising lawyer, Ms. Thahiliya is, however, not the first woman the IUML has fielded in the Assembly elections. Earlier, Vanitha League leaders Kamarunnisa Anwar and Noorbina Rasheed were fielded from Kozhikode in 1996 and 2021 respectively, but both could not win.