Muslim League (Opposition)

Muslim League (Opposition), also rebel Muslim League, later renamed as the All India Muslim League, was an Indian political party formed by rebel leaders of Indian Union Muslim League in Kerala.[1][2] The party was a member of the Communist Party of India Marxist-led Left Front in Kerala.[3]

All India Muslim League
AbbreviationA. I. M. L.
LeaderUmmer Bafakky Thangal
Founded1973
Dissolved3 August 1985
Split fromIndian Union Muslim League
Merged intoIndian Union Muslim League
Alliance
  • Left Front (Kerala)

The party was led by the former Indian Union Muslim League leader Ummer Bafakky Thangal.[1] All India Muslim League withdrew from the Left Front and merged with the Indian Union Muslim League in 1985.[4]

Formation

The signs of a split within ranks of the Kerala unit of the Indian Union Muslim League emerged after the death of Abdurrahiman Baffakhy Thangal in January, 1973.[1] The thangal had earlier made C. H. Mohammed Koya resign from the Achutha Menon Ministry and to contest for the Lok Sabha (1973).

The main reasons of the rift were,

  1. A power struggle between C. H. Mohammed Koya and Ummer Baffakhy Thangal.[1]
  2. A generational conflict within the Kerala unit of the Indian Union Muslim League.[1]
  3. A dispute over tactics (whether to jeopardize the alliance with Indian National Congress in Kerala).[1]

Six rebel Members of the Kerala Legislative Assembly refused the whip in May 1975.[1] They were expelled from the party, and subsequently the 'Opposition League' or the 'rebel Muslim League' was formed.[5]

Election history

The 'Opposition League' or the 'rebel Muslim League' began to cooperate with the Communist Party of India Marxist in the 1977 election.[1]

As Opposition League

The Opposition League contested the 1977 Kerala Legislative Assembly election. It fielded 16 candidates, generally in constituencies where they faced Indian Union Muslim League candidates. In total the candidates of the party got 390,139 votes (4.45% of the votes in Kerala). Three of its candidates were elected; P. P. V. Moosa from Edakkad, P. M. Aboobaker from Calicut-II and K. P. Raman from Kunnamangalam.[6]

Opposition League fielded two candidates in the 1977 general election, which both were defeated by Indian Union Muslim League candidates in straight contests; B. M. Hussain in the Manjeri Constituency (167,034 votes, 38.73%) and M. Moideen Kutty Haji (151,945 votes, 36.05%).[7] The party won a 1979 by-election to the Kasargode Legislative Assembly seat, with B. M. A. Rahiman as the candidate.[8]

As All India Muslim League

Opposition League changed its name to the 'All India Muslim League' ahead of the 1980 Kerala assembly election.[9] The election symbol of the party was a boat.[10]

The party fielded eleven candidates in the 1980 Legislative Assembly election, out of whom five were elected; P. P. V. Moosa, P. M. Aboobacker and K. P. Raman were re-elected whereas A. V. Abdulurahiman Haji from Meppayur and M. J. Zakaria from Mattancherry were elected as well. In total the candidates of the party got 335,223 votes (3.51% of the votes in the state).[11] The party became a major partner in the coalition government formed after the election, with E. K. Nayanar as Chief Minister.[12]

The party fielded K. Moideen Kutty Haji in the Manjeri Constituencyin the 1980 general election. He finished in second place with 196,820 votes (45.60% of the votes in the constituency).[13] The All India Muslim League fielded twelve candidates in the 1982 Legislative Assembly election, out of whom four were elected. A. V. Abdulurahiman Haji, P. M. Aboobacker and K. P. Raman were re-elected. N. A. Mammoo Haji was elected from Peringalam. All in all, the candidates of the party obtained 310,626 votes (3.25% of the votes in the state).[14]

Merger with Indian Union Muslim League

The alliance between Communist Party of India Marxist and the All India Muslim League was broken in 1985.[15] The party withdrew from the Left Front and merged with the Indian Union Muslim League on 3 August 1985.[16][17][4]

References
  1. Wright (23 June 1948). "Muslims and the 1977 Indian Elections: A Watershed?". Asian Survey. 17 (12): 1207–1220. doi:10.2307/2643422. ISSN 0004-4687. JSTOR 2643422.
  2. Nossiter, Thomas J. (1982). Communism in Kerala: A Study in Political Adaptation. University of California Press. p. 236. ISBN 978-0-520-04667-2.
  3. Radhakrishnan, M. G. (19 April 2019). "Revenge of the Dead Horse". Asianet News. Trivandrum. Archived from the original on 15 June 2020.
  4. Pillai, Sreedhar (31 August 1985). "Indian Union Muslim League and All India Muslim League Merge in Kerala". India Today. Kerala. Archived from the original on 13 June 2020.
  5. Gopa Kumar, G. (1986). Regional Political Parties and State Politics. Deep & Deep Publications. pp. 58–60.
  6. Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1977 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF KERALA
  7. Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1977 TO THE SIXTH LOK SABHA - VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)
  8. Election Commission of India. Bye-election Results 1952-95
  9. The Indian Political Science Review. Department of Political Science, University of Delhi. 19: 149. 1985 https://books.google.com/books?id=xxmDAAAAMAAJ. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  10. The Election Archives. Shiv Lal. 1982. p. 66.
  11. Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1980 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF KERALA
  12. Sharafudeen, S. (2003). Muslims of Kerala: A Modern Approach. Kerala Historical Society. p. 86.
  13. Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTIONS, 1980 TO THE SEVENTH LOK SABHA - VOLUME I (NATIONAL AND STATE ABSTRACTS & DETAILED RESULTS)
  14. Election Commission of India. STATISTICAL REPORT ON GENERAL ELECTION, 1982 TO THE LEGISLATIVE ASSEMBLY OF KERALA
  15. Singh, R. S.; Singh, Champa (1991). Indian Communism, Its Role Towards Indian Polity. New Delhi: Mittal Publications. p. 141. ISBN 978-81-7099-294-3.
  16. Biju, M. R. (1997). Politics of Democracy and Decentralisation in India: A Case Study of Kerala. New Delhi: Atlantic Publishers. p. 61. ISBN 978-81-7156-705-8.
  17. Chander, N. Jose (1986). Dynamics of State Politics, Kerala. Sterling Publishers. p. 204.
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