Malappuram: The Muslim League is likely to declare its candidates for the legislative assembly constituencies and Malappuram Lok Sabha bypoll today.
The party's national senior vice-president M P Abdu Samad Samadhani is being considered for the Lok Sabha bypoll.
Though the Muslim League parliamentary board met on Thursday to finalise the candidates, it could not reach an understanding on some assembly seats following which the announcement of candidates was deferred.
Muslim League sources say the party is delaying the announcement as it is yet to take a call on the candidature of veteran leaders K P A Majeed and Abdul Wahab.
Majeed is the state general secretary of the party and Wahab its national treasurer. Both are keen on contesting the assembly polls, but the party wants to despatch one to the Rajya Sabha later.
The majority in the League leadership wants Wahab, who has completed two terms in Rajya Sabha, to contest the assembly polls and Majeed to contest the next Rajya Sabha polls from the state. All senior leaders are being consulted to break the deadlock.
In case if both the leaders contest the April 6 assembly polls, Majeed would be allotted the Malappuram seat and Wahab, Manjeri.
If Majeed or Wahab pulls out, then Malappuram district general secretary U A Latheef would be considered for that seat.
Shaji's seat?
At the same time uncertainty continues to prevail over legislator K M Shaji's seat. Even though he has expressed his willingness to continue in Azhikode, the constituency committee members in Kalamassery and Perinthalmanna have come forward with the demand to field him from their respective constituencies.
No decision has been taken yet on the Kalamassery seat too.
Manjalamkuzhy Ali, MLA, is reportedly being shifted from Perinthalmanna to Mankada.
It is likely 11 out of 18 sitting MLAs, including the five representing the constituencies in Malappuram, may contest the elections again.
The incumbent legislators likely to contest from the same constituencies are: Dr M K Muneer - Kozhikode South, Parakkal Abdullah - Kuttiadi, N A Nellikunnu - Kasaragod and T V Ibrahim - Kondotty.
The extra seats
The League leadership meanwhile claimed that the delay in announcing the candidates is owing to differences with the Congress over several seats. Both parties are the two major constituents of the United Democratic front (UDF).
The Congress will contest in 91 seats, leaving the rest 49 to its UDF allies. While, the Kerala Congress (Joseph) faction is likely to get 10 seats, the League is likely to field 27 candidates, three more than its share in the 2016 state polls.
The Muslim League which had contested 24 seats in 2016 has demanded three more seats this time. The party has been promised Koothuparamba and Perambra seats, sources claimed, though the UDF leadership is yet to take a call allotting Chadyamangalam or Kongad in place of the Pattambi seat.
