R Sreelekha said she only expressed an intention to resign as Thiruvananthapuram councillor and has not quit the BJP. Her clarification matters because the party holds a narrow majority in the Corporation, and she cited delayed ward works and work pressure.
Thiruvananthapuram,Oct 11, 2026 23:24 IST
Former DGP R Sreelekha on Sunday said she had only expressed her intention to resign as a councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, and had not stepped down from either the post or the BJP. In a video message on her YouTube channel, she said she had written to Corporation Mayor V V Rajesh after becoming deeply upset over the indefinite delay in works in her ward.
Sreelekha, the BJP councillor from Sasthamangalam ward, also made it clear that she would remain in the party. She said she was continuing as councillor after being comforted by party leaders, though for now she would be able to handle only urgent matters.
Explaining her situation, Sreelekha said, "telling a DGP to do a police constable's duty for five years" would make that officer face a lot of difficulty. "But facing those difficulties, I contested for the post of councillor and am doing the work associated with that position," she said.
She said she had not resigned from the BJP and would continue as its proud member till she died. "I believe BJP is the best national political party in the country. I am not interested in joining any other party as I am an ardent devotee of Modi ji," Sreelekha said.
The councillor said she was under extreme work pressure and had no rest even on Sundays because of public commitments, including visiting people's homes for every issue, such as deaths, weddings or children's illness. "However, after it exceeds a certain limit, we feel we are unable to do it," she said.
She said Sasthamangalam ward had several pending issues, including the lack of an Anganwadi or a primary health centre, damaged roads, non-functional street lights and the need for a high mast light. According to her, whenever she sent proposals on these matters to Mayor Rajesh, he promptly forwarded them to the concerned department. "But the people working in the departments would delay it, probably because they have been in the corporation during the 45-year-long CPI(M) rule," she said.
Sreelekha also said the conditions in her office were poor, with the printer and wifi not working and even her chair being in bad shape, causing back problems. "I was working in such conditions for several months. All this affected me, and I became very sad. That is why I sent a letter to the Mayor detailing the various works that have been delayed and expressing my inability to continue as a councillor if those works are not completed. I also told him that I was considering resigning due to these reasons," she said.
She said she fell very ill on September 30 and was hospitalised. While in hospital, she came across messages against her in a WhatsApp group and replied that she had sent a letter to the Mayor indicating her intention to resign and would forward the same to the Collector. "But, later, leaders of the party came and comforted me and therefore, I am continuing as councillor now. At the moment, I will only be able to handle urgent matters," she said.
The issue came into the open after a message purportedly posted by Sreelekha in a WhatsApp group of ward residents said she had submitted her resignation to the Mayor and would hand over a copy to the District Collector on October 5. Rajesh had initially said he had received the letter but did not forward it to the Corporation Secretary, but later denied that such a communication existed.
The BJP came to power in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for the first time last year with the support of 51 councillors, including an Independent, in the 101-member civic body. Sreelekha's continuation is important for the party because it has only a narrow majority in the Corporation with the backing of the Independent councillor. She is currently the BJP's state vice-president and had contested the Assembly election from Vattiyoorkavu in April, where she lost to Congress leader K Muraleedharan.
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