Thiruvananthapuram Corporation: R. Sreelekha’s resignation bid puts BJP in a spot
Former IPS officer R. Sreelekha's potential resignation as a BJP ward councillor in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation threatens the party's slim majority. While the BJP remains the single largest party, the move could trigger a bypoll and embolden opposition fronts.
Why it matters
This highlights the fragility of local governance in Kerala and the potential for shifting power dynamics in a high-profile municipal corporation.
For the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) , former IPS officer R. Sreelekha’s move to quit as ward councillor in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, poses the threat of weakening its grip on the high-profile civic body.
If she formally tenders her resignation to the Corporation secretary, it would reduce the party’s tally in the 101-ward Municipal Corporation from 50 to 49, as well as necessitating a bypoll in the Sasthamangalam ward.
Of the two independents in the council, the BJP has the support of Pattoor Radhakrishnan, who heads the town planning standing committee. The other independent councillor, Sudheesh Kumar of the Poundkadavu ward, while not openly aligned with the BJP, had supported it in the contentious issue of extending leave to BJP councillor R. Sugathan. Mr. Sugathan was arrested under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act and is currently lodged in prison.
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