The BJP made history in Kerala on Saturday by winning the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in the local body elections, bringing an end to CPI(M)’s 45-year-long rule in the state capital’s civic administration. Adding to the historic moment, Kerala’s first woman IPS officer, R Sreelekha, secured a decisive victory from the Sasthamangalam division.
Former Director General of Police R Sreelekha, who retired in 2020, has emerged as one of the key faces of the BJP’s rise in the state. Her big victory has sparked political buzz over whether the 64-year-old former police chief could be named the BJP’s mayoral candidate. If that happens, she would become the party’s first mayor in the state capital.
Who is R Sreelekha?
A native of Thiruvananthapuram, Sreelekha became Kerala’s first woman IPS officer in January 1987. During her more than three-decade-long career, she served in several districts and worked with major agencies such as the CBI, Kerala Crime Branch, Vigilance, Fire Force, Motor Vehicles Department and the Prison Department.
In 2017, she was promoted to the rank of Director General of Police, becoming the first woman in the state to reach that position. She retired from service in December 2020 after completing over 33 years in public life.
After retirement, Sreelekha continued to remain in the public eye. She drew attention for her remarks, claiming that actor Dileep was falsely accused in the 2017 sexual assault case involving a fellow actor. More recently, she courted controversy by questioning the delay in filing a sexual harassment complaint against expelled Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil.
Sreelekha joined the BJP in October 2024, saying she was inspired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. She has repeatedly stated that she had no political links during her police career and always worked without political bias.
A major political shift in a traditional left stronghold
The vote count on Saturday showed the BJP emerging as the single largest party in the 101-member Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, winning 50 wards. The CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front secured 29 seats, while the Congress-led United Democratic Front won 19. Independent candidates won two wards.
Although the BJP fell just one seat short of a clear majority, the results signalled a major political change in a city that has long been seen as a Left bastion.
With the BJP celebrating its biggest-ever success in the state capital, the focus is now on whether Sreelekha will be chosen to head the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, potentially opening a new chapter in Kerala’s civic politics.