The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), constantly taunted by the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over its secular credentials, has made a bold move in Thrissur, fielding a Christian candidate in the corporation elections. A raft of non-Muslim candidates is also being fielded in panchayats in Thrissur and Malappuram. 

Jaan Mary Jose, 29, the League candidate in Krishnapuram ward,  is a hotelier and a civil service aspirant. The move comes amid the BJP’s renewed thrust on outreach campaigns to woo Christians and Muslims. A Christian candidate of the Muslim League in the corporation sends strong signals to the BJP in Thrissur, represented by the party’s lone Kerala MP, Suresh Gopi. Just ahead of local body polls, BJP Kerala announced a door-to-door campaign to reach out to the Muslim community and propagate its developmental vision.

The Muslim League has also fielded P K Beena at Kokkala, currently a BJP seat. Krishnapuram and Kokkala are reserved for women (general) this year. It is for the first time that the party has fielded a non-Muslim candidate at Krishnapuram. It was previously represented by Dr Usman between 2010 and 2015.

Jaan, a BCA and Political Science graduate, is a Roman Catholic and currently heads the business operations of four hotels in Thrissur. She is also preparing for the civil service examination. “It was my father who asked me about contesting this elections. I said yes, instinctively. More than any aspect of religion, I find it to be an opportunity to stand for the people. I don’t care much about failure or victory,” she told Onmanorama.

She said that the Muslim League leaders have been very welcoming. “They could have easily gone for a Muslim candidate, but they chose me. I feel there are things beyond religion. I come from a Christian-oriented family and used to top my catechism classes. As a human, religion doesn’t come into play for me, and that’s why I took this decision,” she said, adding that the decision was driven by the family’s strong allegiance to the Congress.

Jaan has a home advantage, as she was born and raised at Krishnapuram and graduated with a BCA from Don Bosco, Mannuthy. Her father, Jose K P, a known businessman in the area is all support for Jaan. She had briefly worked in a financial tech firm in Bengaluru before returning home to focus on studies and business.

Muslim League leaders said that the choice of non-Muslim candidates in many places this year is prompted by performance. “It has nothing to do with religion. Our choices were backed by our conviction in a person’s performance. The state committee has unanimously approved such recommendations from the district committees,” said P M A Salam, General Secretary, Muslim League.

C H Rasheed, vice-president of the League, who coordinates the election campaign in Thrissur, said that the party will field non-Muslim candidates in Panjal panchayat, Thrissur district panchayat, Kadappuram panchayat and Vatanapally. “We are not confining these choices to reserved wards. Many of these wards are general seats,” he said.

The candidate list of the Muslim League in the Malappuram district panchayat also follows the trend. It features two Hindu candidates: V P Shejini Unni and A P Smiji. Shejini has long been associated with the League as the District Secretary of the Dalit League. Her performance as a Kondotty block panchayat member has now earned her another chance. She had previously been president of the Cherukavu Gram Panchayat and the Kondotty Block Panchayat.

Smiji follows in the footsteps of her father, A P Unnikrishnan, one of the founding members of the Dalit League and a former district panchayat president. An advocate by profession, she had been the students’ union vice chairperson at Malabar College, Vengara. In 2020, the Muslim League had won over 2,000 seats in local body elections.