Thiruvananthapuram: Former Kerala DGP and BJP leader R Sreelekha has resigned as a councillor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, in a setback for the BJP-led administration in the capital.

Sreelekha, who represented the Sasthamangalam ward, had been at the centre of speculation after the BJP chose V V Rajesh as the corporation’s mayor instead of her following the party’s victory in the local body elections.

Sreelekha had earlier said she agreed to contest the local body polls after being assured that she would be made mayor.

The development comes months after Sreelekha contested the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency in the May 2026 Kerala elections. Congress candidate K Muraleedharan won the seat with 48,101 votes, defeating sitting CPM MLA V K Prasanth, who secured 42,681 votes. Sreelekha, the BJP-led NDA candidate, finished third with 37,038 votes, with Muraleedharan’s victory margin standing at 5,420 votes.