R Sreelekha’s resignation bid puts ruling BJP in trouble at Tvm Corporation

Putting the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in deep trouble, councillor and former Director General of Police R Sreelekha has submitted her resignation letter to Mayor V V Rajesh, citing personal reasons. The resignation, however, has not been official yet as the letter has to be ideally submitted to the Corporation secretary as per the Kerala Municipality Act (KMA). 

The resignation move is a major setback to the BJP, which has been ruling the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation with a razor-thin majority. The BJP currently rules the 101-member Corporation with 50 councillors, backed by an independent councillor. If the resignation is accepted, the number of BJP councillors will drop to 49. 

As per reports, Sreelekha submitted the resignation letter to the Mayor on September 30. However, the incident came out only on Saturday, October 3, when the retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer announced it in a WhatsApp group related to her ward. In the message, Sreelekha added that she would submit the resignation letter to the district collector on Monday. Later, Mayor Rajesh confirmed to the media that he received a letter, where Sreelekha has cited some personal inconvenience to continue the councillor post. He, however, added that it could be considered as a resignation letter only if submitted to the Corporation Secretary. 

Corporation Secretary J Mohammed Shafi told the media that he has not received any letter from the councillor. As per section 40 of the KMA, councillors should submit their resignation letter in prescribed form to the secretary. The secretary will then notify the state election commission and the council about the vacancy. 

Sreelekha has not responded to the media yet. In the past, Sreelekha had openly expressed her displeasure after BJP chose Rajesh over her for the post of Mayor. Sreelekha who was the BJP vice president was reluctant to contest for the 2025 local body election and was reportedly convinced only after senior BJP leaders offered her the post of Mayor. Later, the post was given to Rajesh, allegedly due to the intervention of senior functionaries of Rashitriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS). Sreelekha’s abstention during the swearing in ceremony of the Mayor was particularly noticed.

Though Sreelekha attempted to contest the Assembly election from Shastamangalam in 2026, she was pushed to the third position in a tight contest between Congress’ K Muraleedharan and Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s V K Prasanth. 

The BJP’s historic win in Thiruvananthapuram was perceived as a stepping stone to the party’s rise to power in Kerala. However, the council has been facing issues back to back. Recently, R Sugathan, a BJP councillor representing Vazhottukonam ward, was arrested and jailed for six months under  Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).