Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26 (NationPress) At the age of forty-nine, V. V. Rajesh has made history by becoming the first leader from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to assume the role of Mayor of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. This event marks a significant turning point in the political scenario of Kerala.

Rajesh secured victory with 51 votes, surpassing the CPI(M)-backed candidate R.P. Shivaji who garnered 29 votes, and the Congress-led UDF candidate K.S. Sabarinathan who received 19 votes. One independent councillor abstained from voting.

With this achievement, Rajesh joins notable BJP figures in Kerala, including O. Rajagopal, the party's first MLA in 2016, and actor-turned-politician Suresh Gopi, who became the first Lok Sabha MP from the State in 2024.

Rajesh's rise to mayoralty indicates a new era for the BJP in Kerala’s urban governance.

This breakthrough was made possible late Thursday when the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA) gained the support of independent councillor P. Radhakrishnan, boosting their numbers to the decisive majority of 51 in the 101-member corporation.

Thus, Rajesh's victory was all but assured.

The NDA’s status as the largest bloc is a remarkable development.

In the local body elections on December 9, the BJP surprised many by winning 50 out of 100 wards, effectively ending the CPI(M)'s nearly 45-year grip on the civic body of the State capital.

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) was reduced to 29 seats, while the Congress-led UDF managed to secure 19 seats.

Two wards were won by independents, and voting in one ward was postponed due to the death of a candidate.

During a meeting of the newly elected councillors at the BJP office on Thursday, S. Suresh, the party general secretary, announced Rajesh as the mayoral candidate and Asha Nath as the Deputy Mayor nominee.

Asha Nath, a seasoned councillor with three terms, was introduced as the party's Deputy Mayor candidate.

Rajesh's selection followed extensive internal discussions within the BJP, with State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar making two trips to New Delhi for consultations, underscoring the involvement of national leadership.

The party reportedly faced a choice between Rajesh and former Director General of Police R. Sreelekha, but consensus favored Rajesh with strong backing from the RSS.

Present to congratulate the new Mayor were Union Minister Suresh Gopi, State BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar, his predecessors K. Surendran, Kummanam Rajasekharan, former MoS V. Muraleedharan, and others.

“This should have happened last time. Now that we are here, slowly things will change across the state,” commented Gopi.

Earlier, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan reached out to Rajesh to extend his congratulations.

BJP supporters gathered in large numbers, celebrating with intense sloganeering and firecrackers once the results were announced.