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The Kerala unit of Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has brought in two high-profile personalities to the local political stage, fielding state’s first woman IPS officer R Sreelekha and former Indian athlete Padmini Thomas as its candidates for the upcoming Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections.
Announcing the party’s initial list of candidates for 67 divisions on Sunday, November 9, BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar said that Sreelekha will contest from Sasthamangalam while Padmini Thomas will enter the fray from Palayam.
Sreelekha, 65, who retired as Director General of Police in 2020, became the first woman IPS officer from Kerala in 1987. She joined the BJP after her retirement, citing her interest in public service and administrative reforms.
Padmini Thomas, an Arjuna Awardee and medal winner at the 1982 Asian Games, had previously served as the president of the Kerala State Sports Council. A former Congress worker, she switched to the BJP in March this year.
The list also includes two more former Congress leaders – Thampanoor Satheesh, a former District Congress Committee general secretary, and K Maheswaran Nair. A number of sitting councillors, including VV Rajesh, MR Gopan, P Ashokkumar, Ashanath GS, Karamana Ajith, VG Girikumar, Papanamcode Saji and Simi Jyothish, will also be contesting again, some from new seats due to rotational reservation.
The announcement has triggered tension within the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) after its ally Bharath Dharma Jana Sena (BDJS) expressed dissatisfaction over seat allocation. The BDJS, which had sought eleven divisions, objected to the BJP fielding candidates in three wards – Edavacode, Ulloor, and Mannanthala – that it had demanded.
In the 2020 Corporation elections, the BJP had aimed to capture power after increasing its strength from six seats in 2010 to 35 in 2015, but the Left Democratic Front (LDF) retained control. Currently, the LDF holds 52 seats in the 100-member council, while the NDA has 35 and the UDF 10.