Koyilandy MLA Kanathil Jameela passes away; death while undergoing treatment for cancer

KOZHIKODE:

Koyilandy MLA Kanathil Jameela passed away in a private hospital in Kozhikode while undergoing treatment for cancer. She was 59 years old. Kanathil Jameela, who was elected as the president of the Kozhikode district panchayat twice, is the first Muslim woman MLA from Malabar.

Kanathil Jameela was born on May 5, 1966, in Atholi Choyikulam, Kozhikode, to T. K. Ali and T. K. Mariam. Her husband is Abdul Rahman, and her children are Ireej Rahman and Anuja Sohaib. She is a member of the CPI(M) district committee. Jameela has been active in public work for three decades. She held the positions of panchayat president and block panchayat president. Kanathil Jameela achieved remarkable achievements while being the president of the Kozhikode district panchayat.

Kanathil Jameela's political journey began in 1995 when she first won the election as a member of the Talakkulam Gram Panchayat. Jameela's political career was shaped through local self-government institutions. Born in a rural area like Kuttiadi, Kanathil Jameela came to Thalakkulathur after getting married. Jameela, who was a housewife, contested for the Thalakkulathur Grama Panchayat in 1995. That same year, she entered the active political arena as the Panchayat President. Kanathil Jameela became the chairman of the Welfare Affairs Standing Committee in 2000 and the president of Chelannur Block Panchayat in 2005. She became the president of Kozhikode District Panchayat in 2010 and 2020.

Kanathil Jameela resigned from the post of president to contest the 2021 assembly elections. She defeated N Subramanian of the Congress by 8472 votes and became the MLA of Koyilandy.

Jameela had been away from the public eye since undergoing treatment for cancer. She was admitted to the hospital on Saturday evening after her health deteriorated while she was resting at home. She is the second Left MLA to die with only months left to complete the assembly term. Peerumedu MLA and CPI leader Vazhoor Soman had died months ago.