NEW DELHI: The BJP’s VV Rajesh was sworn in as Mayor of Kerala capital Thiruvananthapuram Friday afternoon, marking a watershed moment in the southern state’s political landscape.
In his first comments after being inducted, he said, “We will move forward together… taking everyone along. Development will be implemented in all 101 wards… Thiruvananthapuram will be transformed into a developed city.”
The BJP scored a massively surprising win in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation election held in early December, winning 50 of the 101 seats.
Rajesh’s induction comes less than six months before an election in a state the Bharatiya Janata Party has historically struggled; it has never held power in Kerala and has only ever had one MLA – O Rajagopal won the Nemom seat in 2016 – and one MP – actor Suresh Gopi won Thrissur in 2024.
The 45-year-old picked up 51 votes in Friday morning’s poll – one past the halfway mark in the 100-member House. The CPIM’s RP Shivaji got 29 and the Congress-led UDF’s KS Sabarinathan 19.
One councillor, an independent lawmaker, abstained.
Victory was made possible by support from a second independent councillor, P Radhakrishnan.
The BJP had won 50 seats – itself a record success for the party – in the December 9 election.
Picture credit social media
