THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: After weeks of mounting speculation, the BJP’s move is now virtually unmistakable. Former DGP and BJP councillor R Sreelekha is poised to enter the assembly fray. The high-profile visit to her residence by state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and national executive member P K Krishnadas on Tuesday has only strengthened indications that the BJP state vice-president will be fielded from Vattiyoorkavu.
The meeting came soon after Sreelekha publicly declared her readiness to contest if directed by the party leadership. Responding to a POCSO case lodged against her, which she termed legally untenable, Sreelekha said the episode had triggered a groundswell of public support.
“If the party leadership asks me to contest the upcoming assembly election, I am ready,” she asserted, echoing the BJP’s assembly election campaign slogan, “Marathathu Ini Marum” (What has not changed will change). The swift outreach by the party’s top state leadership is widely seen as sealing her likely candidature from Vattiyoorkavu, which includes the Sasthamangalam ward she currently represents.
While sources close to Chandrasekhar described the visit as informal, party insiders confirm that her assembly prospects were very much on the table. “The state president is keen on Sreelekha’s candidature as it was he who was instrumental in persuading her to contest the 2025 election,” said a senior leader.
If formalised by the central parliamentary board, Sreelekha’s entry will electrify the battle in BJP’s ‘A’ class seat. She could find herself in a triangular contest against Congress heavyweight K Muraleedharan and sitting MLA V K Prasanth of the CPM.