R Sreelekha tenders resignation; Unexpected crisis for BJP in Thiruvananthapuram corporation

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A fresh crisis unfolded within the BJP in Kerala’s capital city after Sasthamangalam councillor R Sreelekha tendered her resignation unexpectedly. The BJP-led NDA had won 50 seats out of 101 in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation elections in December 2025, falling just one seat short of the 51-seat simple majority. With the resignation, Sreelekha has thrown the saffron party under the bus barely ten months after the historic win in Thiruvananthapuram.

With this, BJP now have a majority of just 49 members in the corporation, with one support from an independent. It is rumoured that Sreelekha was distraught over the party not offering her Mayor role as promised in the capital city. If the due election procedures are to be followed, a re-election is likely in Saasthamangalam ward.

It is rumoured that Sreelekha was disconcerted over the party leadership robbing her of the mayor role and gifting it to BJP’s experienced face VV Rajesh. At the time of her campaigning as a councillor candidate in Sasthamangalam, BJP district leadership put the former DGP as the Mayor face in the capital city. In the subsequent election, Sreelekha won the Sasthamangalam ward (Ward 41) in the 2025 Thiruvananthapuram Corporation local body elections with a majority of 708 votes.