MALAPPURAM:With the Indian Union Muslim League announcing its remaining ministers on Sunday, Malappuram emerged on top of the list of the districts with the most number of ministers. P K Abdu Rabb and Manhalamkuzhi Ali have been added to the list of IUML nominees as the party decided to demand five ministerial berths. Though Manhalamkuzhi Ali will not be sworn in on Monday along with others, chances are less that the IUML demand for a fifth minister will be turned down by the UDF, according to political observers. However, the IUML leaders have announced that the final decision regarding Ali will be declared only after the discussions within the UDF. With the district contributing heavily to the stunning victory of the IUML in the Assembly polls, it was almost sure that it will get due consideration while selecting ministers. Sources in the party say that the party leadership decided to restrict the number of IUML ministers from the district to three for accommodating M K Muneer and V K Ibrahim Kunju, to balance the regional representations and power equations within the party. However, with Aryadan Muhammed from Nilambur and A P Anilkumar from Wandoor already making it into the Congress list, the district’s share of ministers rose to five. Ernakulam and Kottayam districts have contributed three each to Oommen Chandy’s team. The district expects a growth in development as ministers from its constituencies are handling major portfolios. The people pin hopes on Industry Minister P K Kunhalikutty for the completion of the Industrial Growth Centre at Panakkad and the KINFRA projects in the district. With Aryadan getting electricity portfolio, the district expects that all its villages will be completely electrified soon. However, it is not the first time that the district is getting the most number of ministers. In the 2001 UDF ministry, Malappuram had six ministers.
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