The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) on Friday said that while it has the right to the deputy chief minister post in a UDF government, it will not make a demand for it.
“The IUML has had a deputy chief minister in the past and deserves the post. But we are not making a claim for it right now. In the past, we have had CH Mohammed Koya and K Avukader Kutty Naha of IUML become DCMs. Right now, we will not negotiate for the post,” said Munavvar Ali Shihab Thangal, secretary of the national committee of IUML.
The statement came a day after voters in Kerala hit the polling booths to elect a new government in the state. The Congress and the IUML, part of the UDF arrangement in the state, have claimed that they would win over 100 seats in the 140-seat assembly.
PK Kunhalikutty, seasoned IUML leader, also told local media that while his party deserves the post, it will not put pressure on the Congress while making the claim.
He has also said that the party declined the post when Oommen Chandy of the Congress had offered it between 2011 and 2016, considering the social dynamics at the time.
{{/usCountry}}He has also said that the party declined the post when Oommen Chandy of the Congress had offered it between 2011 and 2016, considering the social dynamics at the time.
{{/usCountry}}The IUML, which has one of the best election strike-rates in the state and is known for its superior organisational presence and support among Muslims, has often been reluctant to make a strident demand for the deputy chief minister post to prevent falling into the narrative of the Left parties and the BJP that it controls the UDF coalition instead of the Congress. It fears that such a narrative would disturb the social and religious dynamics in Kerala and hamper the UDF’s political prospects in the state.