BJP Breaches Kerala Capital, VV Rajesh Becomes First Mayor

• VV Rajesh sworn in as BJP’s first mayor of Thiruvananthapuram
• Party secures 51 votes in a 100-member council
• Asha Nath elected deputy mayor
• Celebrations mark BJP’s civic breakthrough in Kerala capital

GG News Bureau
Thiruvananthapuram, 27th Dec: The Bharatiya Janata Party’s long-cherished ambition of capturing the mayor’s office in Kerala’s capital became a reality on Friday as VV Rajesh took oath as the city’s first BJP mayor, marking a decisive break from decades of Left dominance.

The swearing-in ceremony transformed the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation premises into a charged political arena. Hundreds of BJP workers, RSS volunteers and leaders thronged the courtyard, raising slogans that echoed through the council hall that had remained under Left control for nearly 45 years.

Rajesh secured 51 votes from 100 voting councillors, with one ward election still pending, clinching a slender but decisive majority. A banner featuring Rajesh alongside Prime Minister Narendra Modi was unfurled from the corporation building as celebrations intensified.

Striking a conciliatory tone, Rajesh said the city would not be run on party lines and invited councillors across political parties to contribute to governance. While the CPM candidate joined him on the dais, the Congress nominee declined.

Later in the day, Asha Nath was elected deputy mayor with 50 votes, further consolidating the BJP’s historic civic victory.

Speculation had earlier suggested that retired IPS officer R Sreelekha would be named mayor, but the party chose Rajesh, a grassroots leader who rose through the ranks of ABVP and BJP Yuva Morcha. Born in 1975 in Nedumangad, Rajesh has steadily expanded the party’s footprint in the capital through multiple electoral contests, culminating in his mayoral win.

With this victory, the BJP has scripted a new chapter in Kerala’s political landscape, firmly establishing itself in a civic stronghold long considered out of reach.