Advocate Fathima Thahiliya created history in the 2026 Kerala Assembly elections by becoming the first woman from the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) ever to win a seat in the state legislature. In a stunning upset, she successfully captured the Perambra constituency—a long-standing stronghold of the Left—by defeating the LDF candidate and convenor, T.P. Ramakrishnan.
With a huge blow to the LDF, she registered a historic victory by a margin of 5,087, garnering 81,429 votes. In 2021, senior CPI(M) leader Ramakrishnan won the seat by a margin of over 22,000 votes.
Thahiliya's win signals a significant shift in voter sentiment in the Malabar region. Her win also gives hope to young Muslim women and could even be a turning point for IUML's women candidates in the future.
Historically, the IUML's attempts to field female candidates were both rare and unsuccessful. Before 2026, the party had nominated only two women—one in 1996 and another in 2021—both of whom lost their respective contests.
From student politics in the Muslim Students Federation to becoming the founding state president of Haritha, the women’s wing of the Muslim Students Federation, Fathima built her political identity by voicing her opinions fiercely and fighting for gender equality. Since 2012, she has been active in politics.
Leveraging her strong social media presence, she actively engaged with elderly voters throughout the campaign, discussing welfare schemes and addressing livelihood concerns.
On March 31, Rahul Gandhi reached Perambra to campaign for her.
A postgraduate in law from the government law college of Thrissur, Thahiliya practices at the Kozhikode district court. She was elected as a councillor from the Kuttichira ward in the Kozhikode Municipal Corporation in 2020.
A champion for social reform, she campaigned against child marriage and advocated for women's agency. She consistently opposed the vilification of the hijab, defending it as a matter of identity, and fought for right to education for Muslim women.
While senior leaders questioned her relative lack of experience, she remained undeterred, dismissing their scepticism to champion her own strong convictions.
Earlier, IUML had expelled her from the post of the national vice-president of the MSF. She accused senior MSF leaders of using inappropriate language, who, according to her, also attempted to silence and intimidate women on multiple occasions. The group of women led by Thahiliya had also approached the State Women’s Commission with a formal complaint in August 2021.
