The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a key constituent of the Congress-led UDF and a party that has long projected itself as secular, has come under scrutiny ahead of the local body elections after a video of IUML leader Ashraf Edneer went viral on social media. The clip has triggered allegations that the party is seeking votes on religious grounds.
The LDF election committee for Kasaragod municipality has submitted a formal complaint to the State Election Commission, alleging that the statements made in the video constitute a violation of election norms. The video shows Ashraf introducing UDF candidate Shahina Saleem, contesting from Ward 16 (Thuruthi), and describing her as a devout Muslim who prays five times a day and fasts during Ramadan.
What’s happening in Kasargod, Kerala is honestly shocking.🚨🚨
Congress is going around saying, “Our candidate prays 5 TIMES a day… she FASTS… she follows ISLAMIC beliefs… so vote for her.”
Is this election or a religious quota?
This is the level of vote-bank politics in… pic.twitter.com/LLFG8a7qx3— MAHARATHI (@MahaRathii) December 2, 2025
LDF leaders claim this amounts to appealing for votes using religious identity. In his complaint, T. M. A. Kareem, secretary of the LDF committee in Kasaragod municipality, stated that presenting a candidate primarily through her religious practices creates an indirect comparison with rival candidates and could mislead voters by implying they are less religious.
Ashraf, however, has denied the allegation, saying the viral clip is a selectively edited portion of a 30-minute speech delivered at a women’s meeting on 30 November 2025. He told TNIE that the full speech focused on women’s empowerment, development issues, and the municipality’s socio-political needs, and that the IUML does not engage in communal politics. According to him, the remarks highlighted in the clip were meant to emphasise values, not to use religious practices as a tool for canvassing.
The episode has revived debates around the IUML’s ideological positioning. Social critic and political analyst Hameed Chennamangaloor said the issue underscores a longstanding inconsistency between the League’s public claim of secularism and its political conduct. He argued that a political party can be considered secular only when it avoids invoking religion in its operations, something he believes the IUML has not adhered to. He added that projecting candidates through their religious observance reduces political merit to a question of piety rather than governance.
Advocate C. Shukoor, known for his affinity to the CPM, described the incident as constitutionally and morally serious. He noted that the Constitution prohibits appeals to religion during election campaigns and said the focus should be on ideology, development, inclusivity, and constitutional values. He also criticised the trend of relying on communal and counter-communal narratives, arguing that both the BJP and the IUML are following parallel strategies that weaken the democratic process. Shukoor added that internal dissatisfaction within the League is growing over such approaches.
(Source: The New Indian Express)
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