Kerala Waqf Board chairperson M.K. Sakeer has stepped down from the post to contest the upcoming Assembly polls from the Ponnani Assembly constituency.

K.S. Hamza, a CPI(M) leader who unsuccessfully contested the 2024 Lok Sabha elections from the Ponnani constituency, was appointed his successor.

A government notification appointing Mr. Hamza the new chairperson was issued late in the evening.

In his first stint at the board, Mr. Sakeer, who had earlier served as Chairperson of the Kerala Public Service Commission, had succeeded veteran CPI(M) leader T.K. Hamsa.

Mr. Sakeer was reappointed Chairperson in February 2026 when the board was reconstituted following the enactment of the Waqf Amendment Act of 2025.

Though Mr. Sakeer has mentioned in his resignation letter that he is stepping down due to personal reasons, the resignation is seen as a preemptive move to avoid any political controversy during his candidature in the polls.

Even though the CPI(M) is yet to formally announce its list of candidates, including that of Mr. Sakeer, he has fielded himself in the constituency, which was represented by senior party leader P. Nandakumar. The party decided to field Mr. Sakeer to retain the seat from the Malappuram district, a stronghold of the Indian Union Muslim League.

He is likely to kickoff his electioneering by meeting veteran leaders of the party in the constituency.