BJP struggles to seal mayor deal in Thiruvananthapuram amid closed-door huddles, rift
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The BJP on Wednesday held a series of meetings with its councillors in the Thiruvananthapuram corporation to finalise its mayor and deputy mayor candidates. Sources said that the party leadership decided to defer an announcement amid differences of opinion with the RSS. Though an announcement was expected on Wednesday, the leadership chose to keep the names under wraps after the RSS strongly pitched for an experienced councillor to be named mayor. Party insiders said the RSS has suggested senior councillor V V Rajesh for the post, placing the BJP leadership in a tight spot and prompting it to avoid a hasty decision. According to sources, the RSS raised concerns over whether councillor and former DGP R Sreelekha would be able to withstand sustained protests from the Left and the Congress if appointed mayor. Sreelekha is not a seasoned politician. The Left and Congress will mount strong protests against decisions taken by the BJP. Only an experienced politician like Rajesh can effectively handle such situations, an RSS leader said on condition of anonymity. While the RSS is insisting on experience for the mayors post, party sources said it has no objection to R Sreelekha being considered for the deputy mayor post. Insiders said V V Rajesh, R Sreelekha and Karamana Ajith are currently under consideration for the mayors post, with the leadership yet to arrive at a final decision. Sources added that a significant number of the NDAs 50 councillors are also inclined towards Rajesh, though they have assured the leadership of full support for any candidate chosen for the post. This has further complicated matters for the state leadership. Many state and central leaders, including Rajeev Chandrasekhar, have expressed a preference for Sreelekha as mayor candidate. However, the RSS has strongly pushed for Rajesh, creating a difficult situation for the leadership, a senior BJP leader admitted. With the party preparing for the crucial assembly elections, a section of BJP leaders acknowledged that completely ignoring the RSS could be risky. At the same time, sources said the Central leadership has given the state unit the freedom to take a final call. As a result, the BJPs district leadership in the capital has been holding multiple rounds of discussions with councillors on Wednesday. These meetings were chaired by city district president Karamana Jayan, along with senior leaders S Suresh and K Soman. Sources said they briefed Rajeev Chandrasekhar on the councillors assurance to back the leaderships decision. Many leaders said Christmas Day is likely to see hectic meetings among BJP leaders in the state capital. Rajeev Chandrasekhar has reiterated that the party would reveal its mayor and deputy mayor candidates on December 26. RSS raises concern Sources say the RSS raised concerns over whether councillor and former DGP R Sreelekha would be able to withstand sustained protests from the Left and the Congress if appointed mayor
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