MALAPPURAM: A session at the ‘Ma’ cultural and literature festival in Malappuram provided a sneak preview of the political intrigue and wish lists taking shape ahead of next year’s assembly election. Speaking at the ‘Manasuthuranu’ forum on Saturday, IUML state president Panakkad Sadiq Ali Shihab Thangal said, in a laid-back manner, that his party “can certainly have a chief minister if the Congress permits it”.

He was responding to a question from the moderator about why the League had not had a chief minister since C H Mohammed Koya.

On whether if not the CM, a deputy chief minister appointee from the party would do, Thangal said the IUML national general secretary would hold the second most influential position in the cabinet if the UDF wins the next election. He also clarified that it is the IUML’s general opinion that P K Kunhalikutty would lead it in the election.

During a discussion on ‘Youth and Politics,’ held on Sunday, Youth Congress state president and Palakkad MLA Rahul Mamkootathil said that young politicians have a limited role in shaping the policies of parties in the state. “Senior leaders from the 1970s have been the ones formulating policy.

This also raises the need for self-criticism. The bold decisions they took in the past have kept them in those positions. However, as long as young leaders strive to prove themselves, they will create space to influence policy-making,” Rahul said.