‘Population should be the criterion, Malappuram priority’: Muslim League pitches in after CM’s Muvattupuzha district proposal

Malappuram: Chief Minister V D Satheesan has set the ball rolling for the creation of a new district - Muvattupuzha. Now, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has demanded that population should be the primary criterion while reorganising districts in Kerala, arguing that Malappuram must be considered if the government moves ahead with the formation of new districts.

Several organisations, including the Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama and Solidarity Youth Movement have also voiced support for the demand, increasing political pressure on the government to examine the issue.

Malappuram, formed in 1969, has for years witnessed demands for its bifurcation. According to the 2011 Census, the district had a population of more than 41 lakh, while its geographical area is around 3,550 sq. km. It currently has seven taluks, 16 Assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha constituencies. A substantial part of the Wayanad Lok Sabha constituency also falls within the district.

The argument for bifurcation is primarily based on the district’s exceptionally large population and the administrative challenges associated with managing such a large territory and population under a single district administration. Supporters contend that smaller administrative units could improve the delivery of government services and facilitate more focused development planning.

The issue has also gained political traction within the ruling UDF. After the UDF government came to power, the UDF leadership in Malappuram had passed a resolution urging the government to actively consider the demand for bifurcation. A UDF delegation led by KPA Majeed also met Chief Minister Satheesan to discuss the issue. However, no concrete follow-up action has emerged so far.

With the Chief Minister now indicating that the government is considering a new district in Muvattupuzha, IUML leaders have sought to ensure that Malappuram is not left out of any broader exercise to reorganise districts.

IUML state general secretary P M A Salam said all districts should be reorganised on the basis of population. He argued that Malappuram was facing discrimination because a district with a population of more than 41 lakh receives essentially the same administrative facilities as districts with considerably smaller populations, such as Pathanamthitta.

Salam said the demand should not be limited to Malappuram and that all districts with disproportionately large populations should be considered for reorganisation. “If population is taken into consideration, Malappuram would need to be divided into three districts,” he said.

IUML leader and MLA P K Navas had earlier made a similar argument following the Chief Minister’s remarks on the proposed Muvattupuzha district. He compared Malappuram with Ernakulam, pointing out that Ernakulam has an area of about 3,068 sq. km. and a population of around 32 lakh, whereas Malappuram has about 41.3 lakh people spread across 3,550 sq. km. This gives Malappuram a population density of roughly 1,157 people per sq. km., compared with around 1,072 in Ernakulam, he noted.

The Solidarity Youth Movement has also joined the demand. Its state general secretary T Ismail said Malappuram should receive the first priority if the government decides to create new districts based on population. He argued that Malabar had been raising the demand for population-based district reorganisation for years and that successive governments had failed to adequately address the region’s developmental imbalance.

However, there is also a view that the government should consider reorganising existing districts rather than simply creating new ones.

Former minister and CPM leader K T Jaleel has suggested that areas from highly populated districts could be transferred to neighbouring districts with lower populations, thereby creating more balanced administrative units. According to Jaleel, if population is to be the principal criterion for determining the size of a district, restructuring existing districts could be a more practical solution than creating additional districts.

The debate also has an administrative dimension. Tirur Sub-Collector Dilip Kainikara earlier suggested that an ideal district could comprise around seven Assembly constituencies and one Lok Sabha constituency. By that yardstick, Malappuram with 16 Assembly constituencies and two Lok Sabha constituencies could be considered significantly larger than the proposed administrative norm.