Shyamala Prabhu quits after more than three decades in BJP

Shyamala S. Prabhu, six-time councillor of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) from the Cheralayi division of the Kochi Corporation between 1988 and 2020, resigned from the party’s primary membership on Tuesday (November 25).

Her decision came close on the heels of her move to contest from her division as an Independent candidate after rebelling against the local leadership. Ms. Prabhu has declined invitations from the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Twenty20 to contest as their candidate in the upcoming election, reiterating her loyalty to the BJP, which she represented for over three decades.

“The decision is borne out of political morality, since I am contesting as an Independent from Cheralayi against the party candidate. I felt it was right to resign. There is no other reason, and I have no plans to join any other political party,” Ms. Prabhu told The Hindu.

The district leadership of the BJP said she had probably submitted her resignation to the party’s State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. “The party’s State vice-president B. Unnikrishnan and organisational secretary L. Padmakumar had held negotiations with her in an attempt to bring her around. She had also met the State president who requested her to withdraw from contesting. She was even offered a position in the party’s national executive. There is nothing much to do now,” said K.S. Shaiju, president of the BJP’s district city committee for Kochi Corporation.

The party has fielded Pravitha Vijayakumar as its official candidate from the Cheralayi division. Ms. Prabhu had earlier accused local leaders, who had allegedly put up a rebel candidate against her in the 2015 elections, of hijacking the party and ignoring grassroots level workers. She did not contest the local body polls in 2020, which she claimed was to make way for the youth.

This time, however, she demanded to be fielded from the division when it was reserved for women, a request the party turned down. Looking to take advantage of her rebellion, the UDF even delayed announcing its candidate from the division in the hope of fielding her. Eventually, Ms. Prabhu filed her nomination as an Independent candidate.