The Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has elected A.P. Smiji, a Scheduled Caste Hindu woman and lawyer, as the vice-president of the Malappuram district panchayat. Smiji, daughter of a former president, won from the Tanalur division by a significant margin. The United Democratic Front (UDF), of which IUML is a part, secured all 35 divisions in the council, facing no opposition for the president and vice-president positions.