'Marry Women For Sex, Children': Kerala Leader Sayed Ali Majeed Triggers Controversy

Kerala's ruling Communist Party of India (Marxist) found itself embroiled in controversy on Sunday night after one of its local leaders, Sayed Ali Majeed, made misogynistic remarks during a victory celebration in Malappuram district.

Majeed, who had just scraped through a municipal election with a margin of 47 votes, used his speech to target women candidates and drew sharp criticism for his crude comments, NDTV reported.

The Controversial Speech

Addressing hundreds of party workers, including women, Majeed accused the Indian Union Muslim League of "using women for votes" by fielding female candidates in the recent local body polls. "They displayed women to win votes," he declared, drawing cheers from sections of the audience.

His remarks did not stop there. Turning his attention to women within his own party, Majeed suggested that married women should remain confined to domestic roles. "We also have married women at home... but not to show them off to win votes. Let them sit at home... marry women to sleep with and make kids," he said, before adding that families traditionally verify lineage and background while arranging marriages.

The comments, widely condemned as regressive and offensive, have sparked debate about gender representation in Kerala's politics. Critics argue that such statements undermine decades of progress in encouraging women's participation in public life.

Electoral Setback for the Left

The controversy comes at a time when the CPM-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) is already facing political headwinds. The recent local body elections delivered a mixed verdict, with the opposition Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) and the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) both making significant gains. For the LDF, the inability to replicate its previous performance has raised concerns ahead of next year's state elections.

One of the most striking results was the NDA's victory in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Securing 50 seats in the 101-member council, the alliance wrested control of the civic body from the LDF, which had governed it in the previous term. The UDF also strengthened its position, winning a majority in 367 gram panchayats compared to the LDF's 234. The NDA, though smaller in scale, managed to secure control of five gram panchayats.

Regional Highlights

In Palakkad Municipality, the NDA repeated its earlier success by winning 25 of the 53 seats, positioning itself to retain control of the local body. At the district level, the UDF emerged dominant, winning seven of Kerala's 14 district panchayats, while the LDF managed six. The NDA did not secure any district panchayat majorities but its performance in urban centers has been noted as a sign of growing influence.