Published Jun 25, 2026 | 8:51 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 25, 2026 | 9:01 PM
Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V V Rajesh with one of his legs plastered at the GMCH
Synopsis: Months after scripting history by wresting control of Kerala’s premier municipal corporation from the Left, the BJP finds its Thiruvananthapuram administration plunged into turmoil. The BJP-led NDA scripted a landmark political victory by winning 50 of the 101 wards in the local body elections. As legal challenges mount and political tempers flare, the BJP finds itself in an uncharted territory and the crisis shows no signs of abating.
What began as a legal dispute over the validity of councillors’ oath-taking has now snowballed into a full-blown political crisis inside the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, with dramatic scenes, physical confrontations and mounting uncertainty over the future of the BJP-led civic administration.
The Corporation office turned into a battleground on Thursday, 25 June, as Opposition councillors belonging to the Left Democratic Front (LDF) intensified their protest against Mayor VV Rajesh and Deputy Mayor GS Asha Nath, demanding their immediate resignation following the Kerala High Court’s recent ruling on the controversial oath-taking of BJP councillors.
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Tensions reached a flashpoint when the Mayor and Deputy Mayor arrived at the Corporation office amid an ongoing LDF siege. Opposition councillors attempted to block their entry, triggering heated arguments that quickly spiralled into pushing, shoving and physical clashes between BJP and CPI(M) councillors.
Several people sustained injuries during the melee, including the Mayor, CPI(M) councillors Kattayikonam Sindhu Sasi and Vanchiyoor Babu, BJP councillor Deepa of Peroorkada and a woman police officer who tried to intervene. A CPI(M) woman councillor was also injured and was shifted to a hospital for treatment.
Despite repeated efforts by police personnel to restore order, both groups stood their ground, refusing to retreat. Amid the chaos, the Mayor and Deputy Mayor managed to force their way into the office while LDF councillors continued their protest outside, raising slogans and accusing the BJP of clinging to power despite losing its moral and legal legitimacy.
The agitation is the latest in a political storm that erupted after the Kerala High Court invalidated the oath-taking ceremony of 20 BJP councillors.
The court found that the councillors had not adhered to the legally prescribed oath format after swearing in the names of various deities and martyrs instead of following the statutory wording.
Acting on the court’s directive, 19 BJP councillors retook their oaths on Wednesday, 24 June, evening at the Corporation office.
One councillor, R. Sugathan of Vazhottukonam, could not participate as he remains in judicial custody in connection with a case registered under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).
The hurried re-oath ceremony has itself become the subject of fresh controversy.
Both the LDF and the United Democratic Front (UDF) alleged that the event was conducted without properly informing Opposition councillors and accused the BJP of organising it in a secretive manner.
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LDF leaders argue that since the original oath-taking was declared invalid, all subsequent decisions involving the affected councillors, including the election of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and standing committee members, stand on shaky legal ground.
They maintain that the current civic leadership has lost its legitimacy and must step down immediately to pave the way for fresh elections.
SP Deepak, CPI(M) parliamentary party leader in the Corporation and the petitioner in the High Court case, has indicated that he will move the court again seeking to invalidate the elections of the Mayor, Deputy Mayor and standing committees on the basis of the latest judgment.
The plan is to challenge these elections before a Division Bench, ensuring that the legal and political battle surrounding the Corporation remains far from over.
Meanwhile, the Congress also alleged that the process was carried out in haste and without following established procedures.
Congress Parliamentary Party leader KS Sabarinadhan termed the development “mysterious” and questioned the urgency behind conducting the re-swearing on Wednesday itself.
Sabarinadhan further alleged that the swearing-in was conducted without informing the Local Self-Government Department, without the knowledge of other councillors, and in violation of established norms.
“This back-door swearing-in, without informing the Local Government Department, without the knowledge of other council members and without following the norms, is not the right step,” he said.
The Congress leader also raised questions over the role of the Municipal Secretary in facilitating the process.
“We also understand that the Municipal Secretary, a government official, took this decision voluntarily without consulting the Local Government Department. Our complaint regarding this has been conveyed to the esteemed Local Government Minister,” he added.
Adding to the BJP’s troubles, the State Home Secretary has approved the invocation of KAAPA against councillor R. Sugathan. The move further complicates the party’s position in the Corporation, where its slender majority is already under pressure.
Sugathan, who won the fiercely contested Vazhottukonam division by defeating the LDF candidate by 58 votes, is currently in jail in connection with an attempted murder case.
According to the prosecution, the case stems from an incident during a temple festival at Vellaikadavu, where he allegedly assaulted a youth with an iron pipe following a dispute near the stage. His attempts to secure anticipatory bail were rejected by both the Sessions Court and the High Court, leading to his arrest.
With the High Court granting four weeks for the councillors concerned to take fresh oaths, the BJP leadership is expected to seek judicial intervention to allow Sugathan an opportunity to complete the process. Failure to do so could result in his disqualification from the council, potentially destabilising the BJP-led administration.
The BJP on Thursday launched a sharp attack on the CPI(M) following violent scenes at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, alleging that Left councillors resorted to “hooliganism” and physically obstructed Mayor Rajesh from carrying out his official duties.
An injured BJP councillor
Rajesh, who sustained a leg injury in the clash and is undergoing treatment at the Government Medical College Hospital, Thiruvananthapuram accused CPI(M) councillors of attempting to prevent him from entering the corporation office and discharging his responsibilities.
“The corporation’s functioning and the mayor’s official duties cannot be disrupted in the name of protest. I did not become mayor to enter through the back gate. Such practices may be acceptable at the AKG Centre, but there will be no hooliganism in the corporation,” Rajesh told reporters from the hospital.
According to the mayor, Left councillors staged a protest at the corporation office entrance and allegedly placed chairs across the gate to block his entry. He said the confrontation escalated when BJP councillors tried to enter the premises.
“My leg is badly injured. Who are these people to tell the mayor that he cannot enter his office or sit in his chair? Democratic protests are acceptable, but violence will not be tolerated. I even lost my shoes in the scuffle. Should I have surrendered to their slogans and gone back?” he asked.
Rajesh, Deputy Mayor Asha Nath and several BJP councillors were learnt to have injured in the clash.
The mayor’s leg was plastered following treatment. BJP leaders also alleged that women councillors were attacked during the confrontation.
The BJP alleged that the mayor, deputy mayor and other senior leaders were pushed and assaulted when they attempted to enter the mayor’s office. The party also claimed that a woman police officer was injured while police intervened to bring the situation under control.
Mayor Rajesh and Deputy Mayor Asha along with other BJP councillors at the Mayor’s chamber
BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar and senior leader V. Muraleedharan, both MLAs, visited the injured mayor at the Medical College Hospital and condemned the violence.
Rajeev Chandrasekhar accused the CPI(M) of attempting to intimidate a democratically elected mayor through force. Drawing parallels with past political confrontations in Kerala, he said the BJP would not allow “the kind of violence witnessed in the Speaker’s dais of the Legislative Assembly in 2015” to be repeated in the mayor’s office.
“Do not try to bring the arrogance displayed in the Assembly Speaker’s dais into the office of a BJP mayor. No matter who the comrade is, the BJP will not allow anyone to enter the office of a democratically elected representative and unleash violence,” he said.
The BJP leader said the party would continue its “uncompromising fight against violent politics that undermine democracy and the rule of law.”
Party leaders said 16 people, including Mayor Rajesh, were receiving treatment for injuries sustained during the clash.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) Parliamentary Party leader in the corporation S.P. Deepak defended the agitation, describing it as a “pro-people protest” and rejecting the BJP’s allegations.
Meanwhile, CPI(M) accused the BJP of unleashing violence against LDF councillors.
According to them they staged a blockade in front of the Mayor’s office, alleging that the oath-taking exercise was carried out secretly and in violation of democratic procedures.
An injured CPI(M) councillor
During the protest, BJP councillors led by the Mayor allegedly attacked the demonstrators, resulting in injuries to three LDF councillors, Deepak alleged.
“The BJP had planned the violence in advance. The Corporation is being run in a manner that implements the RSS agenda and undermines democratic norms,” Deepak said, adding that the LDF would intensify its agitation in the coming days.
Former minister and CPI(M) leader Kadakampally Surendran also condemned the incident, accusing the BJP of turning the Corporation into a centre of “gangsterism”.
“The attack on LDF councillors who were protesting against BJP councillor R. Sugathan, who is facing serious allegations, is highly unfortunate,” Surendran said.
LDF councillor and Standing Committee Chairperson for Taxation Sindhu Sasi sustained a head injury during the clash and required four stitches, according to party leaders.
Two other councillors reportedly suffered leg injuries. All three were admitted to the General Hospital.
Following the incident, CPI(M) leaders V. Sivankutty and V. Joy visited the injured councillors at the hospital.
Surendran alleged that the protest was not aimed at preventing the Mayor from carrying out official duties and claimed that BJP workers had been mobilised in advance to provoke a confrontation.
The BJP, however, maintained that the oath-taking process was conducted in compliance with the High Court directive and accused the LDF of attempting to disrupt the proceedings through protest.
With both sides trading charges over the Corporation confrontation, the political row surrounding the oath-taking controversy and the Sugathan issue is set to intensify.
(Edited by Sumavarsha)
