Thiruvananthapuram Corporation’s BJP councillor R. Sreelekha does a U-turn after resignation bid

A day after R. Sreelekha, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, expressed her desire to quit as Sasthamangalam ward councillor, she appears to have done a U-turn with BJP leaders, including State general secretary S. Suresh and Mayor V.V. Rajesh, saying that she would continue in her position.

Ms. Sreelekha reportedly mentioned in her ward’s WhatsApp group on Saturday that she had informed the Mayor through a letter on September 30 about resigning as a councillor for personal reasons. The Mayor had tried to downplay the development, saying Ms. Sreelekha had only handed over a letter expressing personal inconveniences. He did not confirm if the letter communicated her resignation. On Sunday, Mr. Suresh posted a photograph of him visiting her in a hospital. He said that Ms. Sreelekha had merely expressed her concern to close associates about whether she would be able to effectively discharge her duties as a public representative, which later became fodder for media speculation. Her post in the WhatsApp group was also reportedly deleted on Sunday.

“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,” he said in a Facebook post. He said the Mayor as well as BJP district president Karamana Jayan had visited her in the hospital.

CPI(M) stance

CPI(M) leader V.Sivankutty told presspersons on Sunday that the “resignation drama” needed to be seen only as a threat from Ms. Sreelekha to the BJP to gain new positions. Ms. Sreelekha, a former Director General of Police, had earlier made clear her displeasure at being overlooked for the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor post. She had said the party had fielded her as a candidate after promising the mayoral post to her.

The rumoured resignation put the BJP, which has a slender majority in the city Corporation, on the back foot. The BJP-led National Democratic Alliance has 50 seats in the 101-member council and is ruling with the support of Independents. If the resignation had materialised, the party would have been left with 49 councillors.