On its own, Welfare Party of India wins four seats in Mukkom

Four candidates of the Welfare Party of India (WPI), a political party backed by the Jamaat-e-Islami Hind, registered an impressive victory in the Mukkom municipality without entering into any alliance with the major political fronts when the results of the local body elections were declared in Kozhikode district on Saturday.

This is significant because the United Democratic Front’s (UDF) alleged tie-up with the WPI was among the major issues raised by the Left Democratic Front (LDF) during the election campaign. In Mukkom municipality, however, the WPI had contested in six wards on its own after “alliance talks” with the UDF failed in view of certain local political compulsions.

In the 34-member municipal council, the WPI fielded its candidates in Kallurutty North, Kanakkuparamba, Mangalassery, Chennamangallur, Pulpparamba, and Pottassery wards. They won from Kanakkuparamba, Mangalassery, Chennamangallur, and Pulpparamba.

The winners are Mohammed Naseem, Shafeeque Madayi, V. Banooja, and Jaseela Azeez (Independent backed by the WPI), respectively. In the 2020 polls, the party had contested from four wards and won from Kanakkuparamba, Mangalassery, and Pulpparamba wards in “alliance” with the UDF.