THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar is likely to hold crucial discussions with the party’s central leadership in New Delhi on Wednesday or Thursday to finalise the BJP’s mayoral candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation.
Sources said the state leadership has almost settled on R Sreelekha for the post, with the final call to be taken after consultations with the central leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Party insiders said projecting Sreelekha as the mayoral face would give a political boost to the BJP and strengthen its push to bring women to leadership positions.
While the move earlier posed a challenge since senior leader V V Rajesh would be unable to become deputy mayor as the post is reserved for a woman councillor, sources said the party now sees it as an opportunity to place two women at the helm of the corporation and project it as a model of ‘Nari Shakti’ (women power).
If the central leadership gives the green signal, the BJP is expected to announce its mayoral candidate in the coming days. Alongside the decision on the mayor, the leadership is also likely to conduct a detailed review of the party’s setbacks in Thrissur and other regions.
By choosing Kerala’s first woman IPS officer as its mayoral candidate, sources said BJP also aims to send out a strong anti-corruption message. Several party leaders believe that having a former top police officer at the helm would strengthen the BJP’s efforts to highlight alleged irregularities during the over four-decade-long LDF rule of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. BJP leaders have repeatedly said they would expose alleged scams during the tenures of V Sivankutty and Arya Rajendran.
Sources said that if Sreelekha’s candidature is approved, senior leader V V Rajesh and former Sasthamangalam councillor S Madhusoodanan Nair are likely to be entrusted with key responsibilities.
Party leaders acknowledged Madhusoodanan Nair’s role in Sreelekha’s victory from Sasthamangalam, with some senior leaders, including Rajeev Chandrasekhar, said to be unhappy over the defeat of the experienced councillor to K S Sabarinathan.
“We cannot ignore the contribution of S Madhusoodanan Nair in Sreelekha’s victory. The central leadership will factor this in, and many of us are expecting a major announcement by Friday or Saturday,” a senior BJP leader said.
Senior leaders also said the central leadership is closely monitoring developments in the state capital, as the Thiruvananthapuram mayor will be the first BJP mayor of a state capital. “This mayor post will attract national attention. Every step taken in the capital will be closely watched across the country. The central leadership is fully aware of this, and the Prime Minister personally assured support to the party’s efforts in Thiruvananthapuram,” another senior BJP leader said.
Push for ‘Nari Shakti’ model
Party insiders said projecting Sreelekha as the mayoral face would give a political boost to the BJP and strengthen its push to bring women to leadership positions.
While the move earlier posed a challenge since senior leader V V Rajesh would be unable to become deputy mayor as the post is reserved for a woman councillor, sources said the party now sees it as an opportunity to place two women at the helm of the corporation and project it as a model of ‘Nari Shakti’ (women power)