Kozhikode, June 29
A month after scripting history as the first woman ever to enter the Kerala Assembly on an Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) ticket, 32-year-old advocate Fathima Thahiliya is already looking beyond the symbolism of her victory.
Her focus, Thahiliya says, is firmly on transforming her constituency, Perambra, into a model constituency driven by tourism, better healthcare and quality education.
Her election was remarkable on more counts than one.
Wearing the traditional headscarf associated with many Muslim women in Kerala and hailing from a party often perceived as socially conservative, Thahiliya shattered a glass ceiling that had stood for several decades of the IUML's existence.
She also wrested Perambra from the CPI-M, ending the Left party's uninterrupted hold over the constituency since 1980.
"It was not an easy beginning because Perambra was unfamiliar territory for me. I was based in Kozhikode, and naturally there were apprehensions," Thahiliya told IANS.
"But as the campaign gathered momentum, people from every section of society embraced me. Today, after the victory, I only feel the weight of the responsibility they have entrusted to me."
That acceptance, she says, has continued after the election.
"Over the past month, I have received support from all sections of society. There is nothing that is hampering my work," she said.
An advocate practising at the Kozhikode District Court, Thahiliya has prepared what she describes as a development blueprint for the predominantly agrarian constituency.
"My priority areas are tourism, health and education. Perambra has several pristine tourist destinations that remain largely unexplored. If developed responsibly, tourism can generate sustainable income for local communities while preserving the region's natural beauty," she said.
Thahiliya believes healthcare and education require equally urgent attention.
"Both sectors are lagging and need a major overhaul. These are the areas where I will devote all my efforts," she added.
If her election broke a glass ceiling, her performance inside the Assembly has reinforced that breakthrough.
In the legislature, often viewed as a male bastion, Thahiliya has impressed members across party lines with her meticulously prepared and eloquently delivered speeches, winning admiration even from the Opposition.
Born in Kozhikode in 1993, Thahiliya rose through the ranks of the Muslim Students Federation before becoming a founding leader of Haritha, the women's wing of the IUML.
In 2024, she became the first woman to serve on the state committee of the Muslim Youth League, another milestone in a political career built on breaking conventions.
Her 2026 Assembly victory represented an even bigger leap.
The IUML had fielded a woman candidate only once before, and that experiment ended in defeat.
Thahiliya, however, went on to defeat veteran CPI-M leader and former minister T.P. Ramakrishnan by 5,087 votes, signalling that voters were willing to look beyond traditional political and social boundaries. For many in Kerala, her victory is more than an electoral upset.
It marks the arrival of a new generation of leadership within the IUML, one that could reshape both the party's image and the role of women in Muslim politics.
