With lotus blooming in Thiruvananthapuram, will Kerala's first IPS officer become Mayor

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 13 (PTI) With the BJP stunning ruling LDF and the Congress-led UDF to storm into the city civic body, the big question has emerged-- will Kerala's first woman IPS officer also become the saffron party's maiden Mayor from here.

Just days to go for her to turn 65, the spotlight is on R Sreelekha to see if the BJP picks her to lead the city corporation that was a Left fortress for over four decades, before being breached by the saffron party in the just concluded local body polls.

The counting of votes polled in the two-phased elections, held earlier this week, was taken up on Saturday.

Winning from the Sasthamangalam division of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, Sreelekha has been projected as the face of the BJP-led NDA for the mayoral post, a key priority for the saffron party which put up an impressive show in a state dominated by Congress and Left led blocs for decades.

Responding to reporters' queries, she thanked voters for the verdict.

"I have come to know that no candidate has secured such a lead in the Sasthamangalam ward before....we thank the people for the verdict,” she said.

Asked about the possibility of becoming the Mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, she said that the party would decide on the matter.

The lotus bloomed in the state capital on Saturday as the BJP-led NDA achieved a resounding win in the polls for the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, snatching it from the CPI(M)-led LDF and marking an end to 45 years of continuous Left rule in the local body.

Of the 101 wards in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, the BJP won 50, LDF 29, UDF 19 and two by independent candidates.

The win has naturally sparked off speculattions of Sreelekha's elevation.

Born and brought up in Thiruvananthapuram, Sreelekha became Kerala’s first woman IPS officer in January 1987.

During her career spanning over three decades, she headed police units in several districts of the state and also served in the CBI, the Kerala Crime Branch, the Vigilance, the Fire Force, the Motor Vehicles Department, and the Prison Department.

In 2017, she was promoted as Director General of Police, becoming the first woman to be elevated to the rank in Kerala.

She retired in December 2020, concluding a career of over 33 years in public service.

Sreelekha has been in the news even after her retirement, particularly for her remarks claiming that actor Dileep was falsely implicated in the 2017 actress sexual assault case.

More recently, she courted controversy by questioning the delay in filing a sexual harassment complaint against expelled Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil.

Sreelekha joined the BJP in October 2024, saying that she was influenced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

She also said that, after taking the oath as a police officer, she never had any political thoughts and had worked without any political bias. PTI TBA SA