Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s BJP councillor R. Sreelekha does a U-turn after resignation bid
A day after Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor R. Sreelekha indicated she intended to step down as the Sasthamangalam ward representative in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, party leaders moved to quash speculation, saying she will continue in her post. BJP State general secretary S. Suresh and Mayor V.V. Rajesh both stated on Sunday that the councillor would remain in office.
How the resignation talk began
The controversy erupted after Ms. Sreelekha reportedly wrote in her ward’s WhatsApp group on Saturday that she had informed the Mayor via a letter dated September 30 that she was resigning as councillor for personal reasons. The Mayor sought to play down the development, saying she had handed over a letter flagging “personal inconveniences,” while stopping short of confirming whether it amounted to a formal resignation.
Party steps in; WhatsApp post deleted
On Sunday, Mr. Suresh posted a photograph of himself visiting Ms. Sreelekha in a hospital and said she had only voiced private worries to close associates about whether she could effectively discharge her duties as a public representative. Those comments, he said, were blown up into unfounded media speculation. The WhatsApp post referencing her resignation was also reportedly deleted on Sunday.
“News of resignation is incorrect,” says BJP
“The news that Ms. Sreelekha has resigned is incorrect. It is highly improper for certain media outlets to fabricate stories claiming she might join other political parties or that she is bargaining with the party because she failed to secure a specific post. Some have even started daydreaming that the BJP’s administration of the Corporation is about to collapse. Let them keep dreaming. The BJP will govern Thiruvananthapuram Corporation not just for this five-year term, but well beyond it,” Mr. Suresh wrote in a Facebook post.
He added that Mayor V.V. Rajesh and BJP Thiruvananthapuram district president Karamana Jayan had also visited the councillor at the hospital.
Opposition reaction and political backdrop
The episode drew a sharp response from the Communist Party of India (Marxist). CPI(M) leader V. Sivankutty told reporters on Sunday that the “resignation drama” should be seen as a pressure tactic by Ms. Sreelekha to secure positions within the BJP. Ms. Sreelekha, a former Director General of Police, has previously expressed displeasure at being overlooked for the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor’s post, stating that she had been fielded as a candidate on the promise of being elevated to the mayoralty.
Thin majority under scrutiny
The rumoured resignation briefly put the BJP on the defensive in the city Corporation, where it governs with a slender edge. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance holds 50 of the 101 seats in the council and relies on the support of Independents to run the administration. Had the resignation gone through, the BJP tally would have dipped to 49.
Where things stand
With senior BJP leaders asserting that Ms. Sreelekha has not resigned and will continue as Sasthamangalam councillor, immediate uncertainty over the party’s numbers in the Corporation has eased. The Mayor’s office has not confirmed receiving a formal resignation, and the party has dismissed talk of defections or bargaining as speculative.
Published: October 4, 2026
