C.H. Mohammed Koya who adorned the chair of Chief Minister, Deputy Chief Minister, Speaker and Minister was one of the most outstanding personalities in the history of modern Kerala. His was a clear case of “From the Log House to the White House”, as is often said of the late Abraham Lincoln.

On graduating to the Muslim League he was elected its state secretary and became a member of the Kerala State Assembly in 1957. Since then he has continuously been either a member of parliament or state legislator during the last 22 years. He has held education and home portfolios in previous ministries and was briefly speaker of state legislature in the early sixties.

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• Chief Minister of Kerala
  • October 12 to December 1, 1979
     
• Deputy Chief Minister of Kerala
  
  • December 28, 1981 - March 17, 1982 (2nd Karunakaran Ministry)
  • May 24, 1982 - September 28, 1983 (3rd Karunakaran Ministry)
     
• Speaker, 2nd Kerala Legislative Assembly
  
  • 09-06-1961 to 10-11-1961 (Pattom Ministry)
     
• Minister for Education
  • 06-03-1967 to 21-10-1969 (2nd E. M. S. Ministry)  
     
• Minister for Education and Home
  • 01-11-1969 to 01-08-1970 (1st Achutha Menon Ministry)
  • 04-10-1970 to 01-03-1973 (2nd Achutha Menon Ministry) 
     
• Minister for Education
  • 27-04-1977 to 20-12-1977 (1st Antony Ministry)
  • 04-10-1978 to 27-10-1978 (1st Antony Ministry)
  • 29-10-1978 to 07-10-1979 (P. K. V. Ministry)
     
• Minister for Finance and Education
  
  • 25-03-1977 to 25-04-1977 (1st Karunakaran Ministry)
     
• Member of Kerala Legislative Assembly
  • 1st Assembly (1957–59) - Tanur
  • 2nd Assembly (1960–64) - Tanur (resigned on 06 March 1962)
  • 3rd Assembly (1967–70) - Mankada
  • 4th Assembly (1970–77) - Kondotti (resigned on 05 February 1973)
  • 5th Assembly (1977–79) - Malappuram
  • 6th Assembly (1980–82) - Manjeri
  • 7th Assembly (1982–87) - Manjeri

                     Kerala Council of Ministers, 1979, with C. H. Mohammad Koya

Legacy

C. H. was known as a "fiery and eloquent orator" and was described by scholar R. E. Miller as "grassroots star of the Mappila community" and the "ranking hero of Muslim youth" in Kerala

• C. H. championed the progress of the Mappila community in secular education, but also advocated higher standards in the "Arabic Colleges"
• During C. H.'s tenure, the University of Calicut was established (in northern Kerala)
• C. H. acted a "bridge-builder" among various social and religious groups of Kerala
• C. H. is remembered for his "spirited" reply to Jawaharlal Nehru, the Prime Minister of India (when the latter publicly criticized Indian Union Muslim League in 1955)
• In the midst of a tight schedule as an administrator C.H took time off to indulge in his literary aspirations and is the author of no less than eight delightful volumes.

A man of great affability and personal charm, CH had played many roles and, in every role, he gave a stellar performance.

Shihab Thangl was born as the eldest son of Panakkad Sayd Ahmad Pookoya Thangal, who was a renowned Islamic leader and spiritual icon of Kerala. He was one of the most famous Islamic scholars from the Indian state of Kerala. He was the President of the Kerala state committee of the Indian Union Muslim League. Shihab Thangal was a member of the Thangal family.

Thangal is a true leader who championed the propagation and importance of education. He had the strong following of his community but framed his politics in terms of larger national issues and aspirations. Thangal always resisted pressures to take up plum postings in Muslim countries that had good relations with India and also preferred to keep away from the corridors of power.

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• He did his Advance studies in religious education at Thalakkadathur and Kananchery Dars under Ponmala Moideen Musliyar.
• Obtained his master's degree in Arabic literature from Al Azhar University, Egypt in 1961 
• Appointed as the president of the Kerala state committee of Indian Union Muslim League in 1975 and remained president until his death in 2009.
• Doctorate in Arabic literature in 1966

Legacy

• He was a very influential leader of the Muslim community in Kerala and was Qazi to hundreds of Mahals in Kerala.
• He had a close clasp with Kerala's prominent Islamic Organisation Samastha Kerala Jamiyyathul Ulama
• He was the president of a numerous Islamic institutions like Jamia Nooriya Arabiya, Jamia Darussalam Al Islamiya, Nandi which are managed by Samastha.
• He is one of the founding members of MEA Engineering College and Markazu Tharbiyathil Islamiyya, Valancheri
• He was behind the proposal to start another campus of Aligarh Muslim University in Kerala
• Malappuram district, owes much of its development to the visionary in Thangal.
• His contributions in  preserving social harmony in the state are immense.

K.M. Seethi Sahib Bahadur, (1898 − 17 April 1961), was a Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly and prominent leader of Islahi movement in Kerala, who was highly influenced by Vakkom Moulavi. His role in the uplifting of the Mappila community in post-Independent India was so significant that he is sometimes referred to as the "Chief Architect of the Mappila revival" in Kerala. He was also sometimes referred to as "Seethi Sahib Bahadur", the suffix being an honorary title conferred upon by the British in pre-Independent India.

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• After schooling he completed the Intermediate Course from Ernakulam Maharajas College in 1917, topping his batch.
• Pursued his further education to attain the B.A. and B.L. degrees.
• He enrolled as an Advocate in Madras High Court in 1927.
• He went on to become a successful lawyer, practising at Ernakulam and Tellicherry.
• He joined politics as a student, taking part in the Non-Cooperation Movement in 1921.
• In 1928, Seethi was elected to the Cochin Legislative Assembly.
• Attended the historic 1930 Lahore Congress session representing the people of Kerala.
• In 1946, he was elected to the Madras Legislative Assembly from the Malappuram Constituency.
• After the State of Kerala was formed, Seethi sahib won the 1960 election from Kuttipuram Constituency.
• He was elected as the Speaker of the Kerala Legislative Assembly on 22 February 1960 in the Pattom Thanupillai ministry.
• One years later, 1961 while in office as the Speaker, he passed away, making him the first Speaker to die in office.

Legacy

• Seethi Sahib Memorial Polytechnic College in Tirur and Seethi Sahib Higher Secondary School in Taliparamba are named after him.
• In August 1992, the Department of Cultural Publications, Government of Kerala published his biography titled "Seethi Sahib", authored by T. M. Savankutty.
• Another biography was written by his grandson KM Althaf under the title, Nathodhana Samskrithiyude Speaker, published by Olive.
• Seethi Sahib was an eminent lawyer, statesman, writer and a gifted orator. He was a founder member of the Chandrika newspaper in 1934 and influenced a wide range of other individuals who struggled for the Mappila community revival.