'CM is Satheesan, leave no doubts': Muslim League makes stance clear

MALAPPURAM: The Muslim League agreed to support opposition leader V.D. Satheesan for the post of Chief Minister if the UDF win the crucial 2026 assembly polls on May 4th. The League came to the decision, understanding public sentiment and even asked Congress to make a unanimous decision considering the same. Although the League state committee meeting held in Kozhikode on Saturday expressed its support for Satheesan, it was earlier decided to make the stance public only after the election results.

The UDF's lead in the exit polls, the support received by V.D. Satheesan for the post of Chief Minister, and the active involvement of the Congress prompted the League not to wait for the results but to declare their stance now. Muslim organisations affiliated with the League are also interested in Satheesan becoming the new chief minister.

League state president Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal also commented on Thursday that the Congress should respect the sentiments of the people. The League believes that the Congress high command will seek the opinion of the constituent parties in the discussions to decide the Chief Minister.

Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal's statement is also a strategy to unify the party to support Satheesan. A senior leader of the League told Kerala Kaumudi that he is standing with the sentiments of those who voted in favour of the UDF. The League considers V.D. Satheesan's work as the opposition leader excellent. The League believes that Satheesan played a major role in instilling confidence among UDF cadres, despite them being pushed to the opposition for the second time in 2021.

The League assesses that public opinion is not in favour of K.C. Venugopal and Ramesh Chennithala. If Venugopal is made the Chief Minister, political allegations will surface about the high command using a puppet to helm affairs in the state, while the League will be portrayed as complicit in showing political malice to V.D. Satheesan.