Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala’s first woman Director General of Police, Sreelekha, on Saturday registered a victory as a BJP candidate from the Sasthamangalam ward in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, adding momentum to the party’s claim that it is in strong contention to capture the civic body.
Sreelekha’s win has come at a time when the race for control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation remains a cliff-hanger, with all three major fronts locked in a close contest.
The BJP sees her victory as a symbolic and political boost in its bid to dislodge the CPI(M)-led Left Front from power in the capital city.
At the moment, the single largest party in the 101 Thiruvananthapuram Corporation is the BJP with 34 seats, followed by the Left with 20 and the Congress with 16, while counting of the remaining seats is on.
Sreelekha joined the BJP earlier this year, a move that had taken many by surprise.
Her decision to contest the local body election as a ward member further drew attention, given her long and distinguished career in the police force, during which she became the first woman to hold the top post of Director General of Police in the State.
However, her campaign was not without controversy.
On polling day, December 9, Sreelekha found herself at the centre of a row after sharing what was described as a pre-poll survey on social media.
The post claimed that the BJP-led NDA had an edge in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, triggering sharp criticism from rival parties.
State Education Minister V. Sivankutty termed the act a clear violation of the Model Code of Conduct, pointing out that publishing or circulating pre-poll survey results on polling day is explicitly prohibited by the Election Commission.
He described the incident as a serious breach of election norms.
Following the backlash, Sreelekha deleted the controversial post from her social media accounts.
In the outgoing Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, of the total 100 wards, the CPI(M)-led Left Front held 51 seats, while the BJP-led NDA had 35. The remaining seats were shared by the Congress-led UDF and Independents.
(IANS)
