Thiruvanathapuram local body polls: Rift in BJP over candidate selection, Nemom president resigns

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A rift has erupted in the BJPs Thiruvananthapuram unit even before the release of the candidates list for the upcoming local body elections. BJP Nemom area president M Jayakumar resigned from his post on Tuesday, citing differences over the candidate selection process. In his resignation letter, Jayakumar said that despite serving the party for the past 43 years, he was denied justice within the organisation. He submitted his resignation to BJP district president Karamana Jayan and Nemom constituency president Rajesh on Tuesday evening. Party sources said Jayakumars move came after indications that M R Gopan, who had earlier won from the Ponnumangalam ward, would be fielded as the BJP candidate in Nemom this time. In his letter, Jayakumar alleged that the party leadership ignored the demand of local workers who wanted a candidate from within the Nemom ward itself. He also alleged that Gopan, who had previously represented Nemom, had abandoned the ward during the COVID-19 pandemic and even worked against the sitting BJP councillor Deepika U. The five wards under the Nemom area are considered BJP strongholds, and the party had won all of them in the previous election. Sources said that with the Ponnumangalam ward now reserved for women, Gopan is reportedly seeking a safer constituency by contesting from Nemom. The BJP is yet to officially announce its list of candidates for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. Sources said that both the BJP district leadership and the RSS are backing Gopans candidature in Nemom. The party is expected to announce candidates for about half of the corporation wards by Thursday or Friday, following final discussions led by BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. The developments come even as the BJP is preparing to hold electoral meet marches across the city on Wednesday, with party state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar scheduled to participate.