Sreelekha says mayor post was promised to her, clarifies later

The remarks come after speculations that Sreelekha, who won from the Sasthamangalam ward on a BJP ticket in the civic polls, was miffed about being overlooked for the mayor’s post in an election in which the saffron party came to power in the civic body for the first time. On the day of the mayor’s election, soon after Rajesh was elected, Sreelekha had left the council hall, leading to the rumours.

The former DGP told a YouTube channel that the party presented her as its ‘face’ in Thiruvananthapuram.

“In the election, I was chosen not just to serve as a councillor but on the promise that I would be made the mayor. I was reluctant to contest the polls. I was presented as the party’s face despite being initially told that I would have to oversee the campaigns of 10 candidates since I was also the party’s state vice-president. It felt like I would be chosen as the mayor candidate if we won. But at the last minute, something changed. Rajesh was chosen as he could be a better mayor and so was Ashanath as deputy mayor,” she was quoted saying.

“I agree with the central leadership’s decision. I cannot run away because there are a lot of people who have helped me won,” she had said.

After her remarks made headlines, Sreelekha clarified that she was not unhappy with the BJP leadership’s decision to choose Rajesh over her.

“I don’t feel cheated. I am happy and I want to serve as a councillor for the next five years,” she told reporters.

65-year-old Sreelekha added that she was not interested in fighting the upcoming Assembly elections. Her name has been doing the rounds for Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency at the heart of Thiruvananthapuram city.

“My focus right now is on developing the Sasthamangalam ward. The party has not spoken to me about fighting the Assembly elections,” she said.