Thiruvananthapuram: BJP councillor and former Director General of Police R Sreelekha has said she contested the recent local body elections after being assured that she would be made Mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, claiming the decision was later overturned due to intervention by the BJP central leadership.

In the interview with online media, Sreelekha said she had initially refused to contest as a councillor and agreed to enter the elections only after being promised the mayor’s post. “I was not nominated to contest as a councillor. I was brought in with the understanding that I would be the mayor and the face of the election campaign,” she said.

She said the plan was for her to lead the campaign and work for party candidates, but circumstances changed at the last moment. “For some reason, the decision was altered at the final stage. My understanding is that the Centre felt V V Rajesh would be better suited as Mayor and Asha Nath as Deputy Mayor,” Sreelekha said.

Her public remarks have been seen as an embarrassment for the BJP state leadership, as she openly acknowledged that the mayoral appointments were decided by the party’s central leadership.

“I am sincere to those who stood by me. That is why I decided to serve as a councillor for the next five years. Sometimes, such developments turn out to be for the better,” she said.

Sreelekha had earlier been projected by the BJP state leadership as its mayoral candidate for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. However, she was replaced at the eleventh hour by V V Rajesh.