Kerala BJP councillor and former DGP R. Sreelekha demands CPI(M) MLA V.K. Prasanth to vacate office, MLA refuses

Newly elected Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) councillor R. Sreelekha’s demand to Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] MLA V.K. Prasanth to vacate his office at Sasthamangalam in the capital kicked up a storm on Sunday (December 28, 2025). Mr. Prasanth, who represents the Vattiyurkavu constituency, termed the demand politically motivated and said that there was no question of vacating the building as he had paid the rent till March 31 next year to the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, which owns the building.

After the issue flared up, Ms. Sreelekha, former Director General of Police (DGP), visited Mr. Prasanth at his office around Sunday noon and said that she had only made a friendly request considering the inadequacies of the space allotted for the Sasthamangalam councillor in the same building.

According to Mr. Prasanth, he received the call from Ms. Sreelekha on Saturday morning. He said that the building, which also houses the health circle office of the Corporation, was renovated during his term as the Mayor from 2015-19. The hall inside the building was partitioned to house the Vattiyurkavu MLA as well as the Sasthamangalam councillor’s office. The previous two councillors, including Left Democratic Front (LDF) councillor Bindu Sreekumar and BJP councillor Madhusoodhanan Nair, had occupied the space allocated for them.

Council decision

“It’s inappropriate for a councillor to claim that the facilities are insufficient and demand the MLA to vacate the space. How has the MLA’s office being located here suddenly become an inconvenience after almost seven years? The space was allocated for the MLA office as per a decision of the council. I have paid the rent till March 31 and have also requested for an extension till the end of the term in May. If the Corporation is planning to forcibly vacate the office, it will be dealt with politically and legally,” said Mr. Prasanth.

Appearing to strike a conciliatory note after the controversy broke out, Ms. Sreelekha that she sees Mr. Prasanth as a brother and had no personal issues with him. She said that the ward councillor’s options for office space are limited while an MLA can set up an office anywhere within the constituency.

Mayor V.V. Rajesh said that there was no need to politicise a request which was made on a cordial note. Ms. Sreelekha had made the request because she shares a personal rapport with the MLA. He hinted that the council might have a relook at the rent rates for the office space as per the rates prevalent in the city. 

Minister for Local Self Governments M.B. Rajesh said that Ms. Sreelekha’s demand is reflective of the BJP’s anti-democratic and intolerant mindset. “It is a warning that the capital city will have to suffer such behaviour for the coming five years,” he said. General Education Minister V. Sivankutty said that Ms. Sreelekha had no such powers to make demands to an MLA. “This is the kind of autocratic mindset which is prevalent under the BJP in Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh,” he said.