Kerala’s former DGP resigns as Thiruvananthapuram councillor months after BJP’s mayor ‘snub’ - The Indian Express
BJP state vice-president and former DGP R Sreelekha has resigned as councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, months after she publicly expressed disappointment over not being made mayor after the party won control of the civic body.
In the 101-strong cooperation council, BJP has only 50 members and the party has been ruling with the support of an independent. With Sreelekha’s resignation, the BJP-led NDA’s strength has come down to 49, leaving the party’s governance at the corporation in a precarious position. BJP has begun conciliation process with Sreelekha to save the party-led corporation.
Sreelekha, who joined the BJP in October 2024, submitted her resignation to Mayor V V Rajesh, who told the media that she had cited personal reasons for the decision. Sreelekha has not so far publicly given any other reason for her resignation. Reports of her dissatisfaction over the mayoral post had emerged after the corporation elections.
In the December 2025 local body elections, the BJP-led NDA won control of the Thiruvananthapuram municipal corporation, ending the CPI(M)-led LDF’s 45-year run. The 101-member council has 50 NDA councillors. With Sreelekha’s resignation from the Sasthamangalam ward, a vacancy has arisen in the council.The national leadership of the BJP hailed its breakthrough in the Kerala capital as a watershed moment that would pave the way for the party to rule the southern state.”
After the elections, Sreelekha told the media that she had contested the election with the expectation of becoming mayor. She also said that the BJP had presented her as its mayoral face during the campaign.
Speaking to the media in January this year, Sreelekha said: “I was reluctant to contest the elections, but I agreed following the assurance that I would be made mayor. I thought I was the face of the party in the corporation. I am also BJP state vice-president and have to work for all candidates. I was given the task of ensuring the victory of 10 candidates. At least, I agreed to contest the election. The party leadership said I was the face of the party in the elections to the corporation, and I was presented before TV channels in that manner. However, at the last minute, things changed for some reason.”
Sreelekha said, “I think the party central leadership might have taken such a decision thinking that they (Rajesh as mayor and Asha Nath as deputy mayor) can perform better. I accept the decision of the leadership and am not going to debate over it with the leadership. I cannot walk out in protest against the decision. There are people who have voted for me. Hence, I decided to continue as a councillor for five years. I am not going to contest the Assembly elections,” she said.
Sreelekha subsequently contested the Assembly election from Vattiyoorkkavu as the BJP candidate, where Congress candidate K Muraleedharan won. Sreelekha finished third, behind the CPI(M) candidate. In the 2021 Assembly elections, then BJP candidate V V Rajesh had finished second.
R Sreelekha is Keralam’s first woman IPS officer. She retired in 2020 as director general of the Kerala Fire and Rescue Service and was the first woman IPS officer in Kerala to attain DGP rank.
After joining the BJP in 2024, Sreelekha told the media that Prime Minister Modi’s charisma had prompted her to join the party. “I have faith in BJP’s ideologies. I am joining BJP after three-week-long thinking,” she then said.
An IPS officer of the 1987 batch, Sreelekha had publicly criticised fellow IPS officer Tomin J Thachankary towards the end of her career. In a 2016 Facebook post, she alleged that Thachankary had been “haunting” her since her IPS training in 1987 and alleged that he was behind a Vigilance probe against her. Thachankary denied the allegations.
On her retirement day, she abstained from a formal farewell party and guard of honour given to DGP-rank officers.
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Sreelekha had been a college lecturer and bank officer before joining the civil service. She served as SP in various districts and later as DIG and IG. While on central deputation, she worked with the CBI for four years.
After retirement, Sreelekha said that, as director general of prisons, she had given special consideration and better facilities to actor Dileep while he was lodged in jail in connection with the 2017 case pertaining to the abduction and sexual assault of an actor in a moving vehicle. She also said at the time that she believed Dileep was innocent. Her description of Pulsar Suni, the prime accused in the case, as a “habitual offender” subsequently led to an FIR against her.
Shaju Philip is a Senior Assistant Editor at The Indian Express, where he leads the publication's coverage from Kerala. With over 25 years of experience in mainstream journalism, he is one of the most authoritative voices on the socio-political, religious, and developmental landscape of South India. Expertise, Experience, and Authority Decades of Regional Specialization: Shaju has spent more than two decades documenting the "Kerala Model" of development, its complex communal dynamics, and its high-stakes political environment. Key Coverage Beats: His extensive reporting portfolio includes: Political & Governance Analysis: In-depth tracking of the LDF and UDF coalitions, the growth of the BJP in the state, and the intricate workings of the Kerala administration. Crime & Investigative Journalism: Noted for his coverage of high-profile cases such as the gold smuggling probe, political killings, and the state’s counter-terrorism efforts regarding radicalization modules. Crisis Management: He has led ground-level reporting during major regional crises, including the devastating 2018 floods, the Nipah virus outbreaks, and the Covid-19 pandemic response. ... Read More
