BJP announces VV Rajesh as mayor candidate for Thiruvananthapuram Corporation

Thiruvananthapuram (Kerala) [India], December 25 (ANI): For the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, BJP State Secretary and Kodunganoor ward councillor V V Rajesh has been announced as the party's mayoral candidate.
In addition, Karumam ward councillor G S Asha Nath has been named the BJP's candidate for the post of deputy mayor, according to a press release from the BJP state office on Thursday.
For the Thrippunithura Municipality in Ernakulam P L Babu has been announced as the chairperson candidate, and Radhika Varma as the vice chairperson candidate, according to the press release.
The announcement of all the candidates was made by the BJP State General Secretary, S Suresh, with the approval of BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar, after the decisive victory of NDA in the corporation.
The 2025 Kerala local body elections, held in two phases on December 9 and 11, resulted in a decisive victory for the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF), which dominated across most rural and urban tiers. A historic highlight was the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) winning the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, ending 45 years of continuous rule by the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF).
Earlier on Thursday, BJP leader Rajeev Chandrasekhar responded to Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan's statement, saying that a CM with a decade in office should account for their work, following Vijayan's accusation that the central government was deliberately restricting the state's financial autonomy and undermining its development initiatives.
Speaking with ANI, Chandrasekhar attributed Kerala's development to PM Modi's government, alleging that Vijayan's tenure has been marked by corruption, citing the Sabarimala temple gold theft.
"Someone who has been a CM in the government for 10 years has a responsibility to tell the people what work they have done when the elections come... The PM Modi government has driven all development work in Kerala over the last 10 years... Over the past 10 years, Pinarayi Vijayan has led a government marked by corruption. 4-4.5 kg of gold was stolen from the Sabarimala temple...," said Chandrasekhar.
He accused Vijayan of inciting people and spreading confusion, and claimed this strategy would not succeed. "They want to do politics of inciting people and confusing them, but this will not succeed...," added the BJP leader.
This comes after Vijayan criticised the Centre's handling of the state's borrowing limit, saying it hampers development. Vijayan points out that treating KIIFB loans as state debt reduces Kerala's borrowing capacity, contradicting the RBI's 1999 distinction between guarantees and loans.
Vijayan accused the Centre of financially weakening states like Kerala, misusing Article 293(3) of the Constitution, and undermining the state's development model.
Vijayan vowed Kerala will pursue its development agenda despite obstacles. (ANI)