Senior BJP leader V V Rajesh was sworn in on Friday as the mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation in Kerala’s state capital.
The BJP emerged as the single largest party in the 101-member corporation, winning 50 seats and ending the Communist Party of India (Marxist)-led Left Democratic Front’s 45-year uninterrupted control in the recently concluded civic poll.
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Who is V V Rajesh?
Rajesh, currently a state secretary of the BJP, has been a councillor since 2020. The party re-nominated him for the recent election as a crucial battle for control of the capital region.
The 50-year-old leader, a lawyer by profession, rose through the ranks of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM). He previously served as the BJP’s district president and contested the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly seat in the 2021 elections, though unsuccessfully.
Notably, ahead of the mayoral election, the BJP ensured the support of Independent councillor Radhakrishnan. Three-time BJP councillor Asha Nath G S was elected deputy mayor. The decision to appoint Rajesh came amid speculation that former DGP and Kerala’s first woman IPS officer, R Sreelekha, who won her debut civic election, might be chosen.
Back in 2018, during protests against the entry of menstruating women into the Sabarimala temple, Rajesh led demonstrations in Thiruvananthapuram and faced criminal cases linked to the agitation.
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He also belongs to the Hindu Nair community, which holds influence in the capital region.
“In the next five years, the capital will be converted into one of the three most developed cities of the country. All the 101 wards in the city will be considered as a unit as far as development is concerned… The experience of all the councilors will be tapped for the development of the city,” Rajesh said after being elected as the mayor.
