Thiruvananthapuram: The Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday registered a landmark political victory in Kerala after its leader VV Rajesh was elected mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, marking the party’s first-ever win in a municipal corporation in the state.
Rajesh secured 51 votes in the mayoral election, including the backing of an Independent councillor, giving the BJP a clear edge in the 101-member civic body where the party won 50 wards. The Left Democratic Front candidate P Sivaji polled 29 votes, while United Democratic Front nominee KS Sabarinathan received 19 votes, with two ballots later declared invalid.
Senior BJP leaders, including state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, were present at the corporation office during the election process. Former Union minister V Muraleedharan and ex-state BJP president K Surendran also attended the event as Rajesh was formally elected and later sworn in as mayor of the state capital.
The victory is being seen as a significant shift in Kerala’s political landscape, with the BJP wresting control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation after nearly four decades of LDF dominance.
Elsewhere in the state, the UDF emerged strong in several corporations. AK Hafeez was elected mayor of Kollam Corporation, while VK Minimol, a four-time councillor, took charge as mayor of Kochi Corporation. In Thrissur Corporation, UDF’s Niji Justin was elected mayor, though the result sparked internal dissent, with councillor Lali James alleging she was denied the post unfairly.
In Kozhikode Corporation, the LDF won a majority of wards, while in Kannur Corporation, UDF candidate P Indira is set to assume the mayor’s post. Of Kerala’s six municipal corporations, the UDF secured control of four, while the LDF and BJP won one each.
Another notable development came from Pala municipality, where 21-year-old Diya Binu Pulikkankandam was elected chairperson with UDF support, becoming the youngest municipal chairperson in Kerala. Diya, along with her father Binu and uncle Biju, won as Independents and later extended support to the UDF, ending the long-standing rule of Kerala Congress (Mani) in its traditional stronghold.
Apart from Thiruvananthapuram, the BJP also recorded victories in the municipalities of Tripunithura and Palakkad, underlining the party’s growing footprint in the state’s local body politics.
