Kozhikode: The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) is facing renewed internal pressure in Koduvalli, with its constituency leadership demanding that only a local leader be fielded in the upcoming Assembly elections.

The move has added a fresh layer of complexity for the party, which is yet to finalise its candidate for the Koduvalli constituency — considered a stronghold of the IUML. The demand is widely seen as a setback to the prospects of leaders from outside the constituency who were being actively considered.

The constituency-level committee formally conveyed its stand to the state leadership after adopting a resolution at a meeting held on Tuesday. Local leaders argue that the cadre in Koduvalli has repeatedly been overlooked during Assembly elections, with “outsiders” often chosen to contest from the seat. Youth leader P K Firoz was among the prominent names under consideration for Koduvalli. However, the latest stand of the local unit could pose a hurdle to such possibilities.

The decision is likely to strengthen the prospects of district president M A Razak and former MLA V M Ummer, both of whom hail from the constituency. Party sources said the state committee would take a final call only after detailed discussions in the coming days.

In the 2021 Assembly election, senior leader M K Muneer was fielded from Koduvalli and defeated LDF-supported Independent candidate Karat Razak by around 7,000 votes. This time, Muneer is reportedly keen on contesting from Kozhikode South, prompting the party to explore alternative candidates for Koduvalli.

“The party cannot easily ignore the demand of the constituency committee. A local leader is likely to be fielded this time. P K Firoz may instead be considered for constituencies like Kunnamangalam, where the party still sees winning prospects,” a party source said.

Earlier, a delegation of the Kozhikode district committee had met state leaders seeking consideration for M A Razak and district general secretary T T Ismail in the upcoming polls. There were also indications that Razak could be shifted to Kunnamangalam, while Ismail may be considered for Perambra.

Razak began his political career as a member of the Kizhakoth Grama Panchayat (1988–1995) and later served as its standing committee chairman. He went on to become vice president of the Koduvally Block Panchayat in 2000 and has held key organisational positions within the party. In the 2016 Assembly election, he contested from Koduvalli but narrowly lost to Karat Razak by 573 votes. He was not fielded in 2021 when Muneer was nominated from the seat.

V M Ummer, meanwhile, won the 2011 Assembly election from Koduvalli with a margin of over 16,500 votes, defeating CPM’s M Mehboob.

With Koduvalli once again emerging as a focal point of internal debate, the IUML leadership now faces the delicate task of balancing local aspirations with broader electoral strategy, including seat swapping with the Congress party.