The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) cadres, particularly in the Malabar region, are increasingly discontented with the party leadership’s selection of Cabinet members from among its 22 designated MLAs.

Of the 22 IUML legislators elected to the Assembly, 12 are from Malappuram district, six are from Kozhikode, two are from Kasaragod and one each from Palakkad and Ernakulam districts.

However, the Cabinet composition has drawn criticism within the party, especially from younger workers, as three Ministers have been chosen from Malappuram, alongside one each from Palakkad and Ernakulam.

The absence of Cabinet representation for Kozhikode district has particularly upset party workers there, despite the district sending six IUML members to the Assembly. Similar resentment is brewing in Kasaragod, where two IUML candidates secured victory after stiff contests against the BJP and the CPI(M).

Critics within the party point out that many IUML candidates in Malappuram had comparatively comfortable victories, whereas the battles in Kozhikode and Kasaragod were far more demanding.

Except for Tanur, which the IUML wrested from the CPI(M), most constituencies in Malappuram were considered relatively safe for the party. In fact, Malappuram, Tirurangadi and Kottakkal delivered the three highest victory margins in Kerala. Tirur alone witnessed a visibly intense contest, where outgoing Sports Minister V. Abdurahiman challenged sitting IUML MLA Kurukkoli Moideen.

The appointment of V.E. Abdul Gafoor from Kalamassery has also sparked criticism among cadres. A first-time MLA, Mr. Gafoor is the son of late IUML leader and former Public Works Minister V.K. Ebrahim Kunju. Party workers have openly questioned the rationale behind giving representation to Ernakulam district while overlooking Kozhikode and Kasaragod.

“What was the compulsion for the party to accommodate Ernakulam while denying representation to six MLAs from Kozhikode and two from Kasaragod?” asked Abdul Rasheed, an IUML worker from Kozhikode.

In an apparent attempt to pacify discontent in Malabar, IUML State president Syed Sadikali Shihab Thangal announced at the last minute that Parakkal Abdulla, elected from Kuttiadi, would be inducted into the Cabinet after two-and-a-half years. However, Mr. Thangal did not specify which Minister would step down to make way for Mr. Abdulla midway through the government’s term.

Despite this assurance, dissatisfaction continues to simmer among sections of the party cadre. Some workers even took to social media to criticise Mr. Thangal, asserting that they were not “slaves” and had every democratic right to voice dissent.

The selection of both Mr. Gafoor and P.K. Basheer has further fuelled allegations of dynastic preference within the party, as they are sons of late IUML leaders V.K. Ebrahim Kunju and P. Seethi Haji, respectively.