Explained : BJP Wins Thiruvananthapuram Mayor Rewriting Kerala Civic Politics and Its Impact

The BJP has won the mayoralty in Thiruvananthapuram, ending decades of Left control and signalling a shift in Kerala’s urban governance. The result, part of broader local body trends across six corporations, reflects changing party strength and implications for future municipal administration in the state.

India

-Gaurav Sharma

The
BJP
has
entered
a
new
phase
in
Kerala
politics
after
securing
its
first
mayoral
post
in
Thiruvananthapuram,
ending
almost
40
years
of
Left
control
in
the
city
corporation.
VV
Rajesh’s
election
as
mayor
signals
a
clear
shift
in
urban
politics
and
party
strength
in
the
state
capital.

Rajesh
won
the
mayoral
election
at
the
Thiruvananthapuram
Corporation
office
with
51
votes
in
the
101-member
council,
after
securing
support
from
one
Independent
councillor.
The
election
was
held
for
100
seats
because
polling
did
not
take
place
in
one
Vizhinjam
ward,
but
the
halfway
mark
was
comfortably
crossed.

BJP
Kerala
mayoral
victory
reshapes
civic
power
balance

The
BJP
had
already
emerged
as
the
single
largest
group
in
the
Thiruvananthapuram
Corporation
by
winning
50
of
the
101
wards
in
the
recent
local
body
polls.
With
Rajesh,
a
BJP
state
secretary,
becoming
mayor,
the
party
now
heads
the
civic
body
in
the
Kerala
capital
for
the
first
time.

The
mayoral
contest
saw
LDF
candidate
P
Sivaji
receive
29
votes,
while
UDF
nominee
K
S
Sabarinathan
secured
19
votes.
Two
votes
were
ruled
invalid,
and
one
councillor
chose
not
to
vote.
This
result
marked
a
rare
setback
for
the
Left
in
a
corporation
it
had
controlled
for
decades.

Statewide
BJP
Kerala
mayoral
victory
trends
and
corporation
results

Across
Kerala’s
six
municipal
corporations,
the
broader
picture
remained
mixed
for
all
fronts.
The
UDF
won
four
corporations,
the
BJP
captured
Thiruvananthapuram,
and
the
LDF
retained
one.
The
BJP
and
LDF
thus
finished
with
one
corporation
each,
while
the
UDF
held
the
numerical
edge
in
mayoral
positions.

Senior
BJP
leaders,
including
state
president
Rajeev
Chandrasekhar,
former
Union
minister
V
Muraleedharan
and
former
state
president
K
Surendran,
were
present
at
the
Corporation
office
during
the
voting.
Rajesh
later
took
the
oath
of
office
as
mayor,
while
third-time
councillor
G
S
Asha
Nath,
a
woman
leader,
was
chosen
as
deputy
mayor.

The
detailed
mayoral
outcomes
across
the
six
municipal
corporations
are
shown
below.

Local
shifts
beyond
BJP
Kerala
mayoral
victory

The
LDF,
despite
losing
Thiruvananthapuram,
kept
its
influence
in
other
regions
by
winning
most
wards
in
Kozhikode
Corporation.
In
Thrissur,
UDF
leader
Dr
Niji
Justin
became
mayor,
but
the
result
sparked
internal
trouble
after
councillor
Lali
James
alleged
being
denied
the
post
because
of
bribery
by
party
leaders.

In
Kollam
Corporation,
UDF
councillor
A
K
Hafeez
was
elected
mayor,
while
in
Kochi,
four-time
councillor
V
K
Minimol
took
charge.
In
Kannur
Corporation,
UDF
candidate
P
Indira
is
set
to
assume
the
mayor’s
post,
strengthening
the
front’s
presence
in
northern
and
central
Kerala
city
administrations.

Beyond
corporations,
another
turning
point
came
from
Pala
municipality,
where
21-year-old
Diya
Binu
Pulikkankandam
became
the
youngest
municipal
chairperson
in
Kerala.
Diya,
her
father
Binu
and
uncle
Biju
contested
as
Independents,
then
backed
the
UDF,
ending
the
long-held
grip
of
Kerala
Congress
(Mani)
in
its
traditional
Pala
stronghold.

The
BJP
also
recorded
gains
outside
the
capital
by
winning
control
in
the
municipalities
of
Tripunithura
and
Palakkad.
Together
with
the
Thiruvananthapuram
mayoral
win
on
Dec
26,
2025,
these
results
underline
the
party’s
gradual
rise
in
local
governance,
while
the
UDF
and
LDF
still
retain
strongholds
across
other
urban
centres.