THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Nine months after the new council took charge, the Thiruvananthapuram corporation, one of the largest civic bodies in the state, finds itself in the midst of an unprecedented political storm.
A vigilance inquiry into a bribery allegation, a police probe into an alleged forgery, the continuing fallout over the case involving a councillor under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act, and the resignation of a prominent BJP councillor have all unfolded within days, putting both the ruling and opposition parties under scrutiny.
On Wednesday, a vigilance inquiry was launched into a complaint that CPM’s Thrikannapuram councillor Ajin S allegedly demanded `10 lakh from a landowner in a property-related issue.
Audio and video recordings purportedly supporting the allegation also surfaced.
Ajin denied the charge, claiming that the audio and video were fabricated. He maintained that his intervention related to alleged attempts to encroach upon government land.
The CPM announced its own internal inquiry into the allegation, even as UDF parliamentary party leader K S Sabarinadhan demanded Ajin’s resignation. This comes even as the police investigate the LDF’s allegations that the signature of BJP councillor R Sugathan, who had been in jail in a KAAPA case, was forged in the corporation’s attendance register.
The LDF alleged that Sugathan’s signature was forged in the council attendance register to falsely show he attended meetings on February 26, March 11 and April 27. The Museum police is looking into the complaint. Sugathan, who was released from the Viyyur Jail after the Kerala High Court quashed the case against him on Tuesday, maintained that it was indeed his signature in the register.
The HC verdict has triggered a political confrontation, with the LDF alleging that the government handled the KAAPA case with extreme laxity and accusing the UDF of an understanding with the BJP.
On October 3, senior BJP leader R Sreelekha had quit as councillor after prolonged differences with the party leadership.
The move triggered a crisis in the BJP, which won 50 of 101 wards in the 2025 local body elections and came to power in the corporation with the support of two independents. However, a day later, Mayor V V Rajesh confirmed that the Sasthamangalam councillor would continue in office.
