Tiruvananthapuram: At least nine BJP councillors, including several women representatives and Deputy Mayor Asha Natha, were injured after CPM councillors, accompanied by party workers from outside the corporation, allegedly turned violent during a protest at the Tiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation on June 25.
The CPM cadre, posing as protesters demanding the resignation of Mayor Adv. V.V. Rajesh, allegedly attempted to lay siege to the Mayor’s office, leading to clashes inside the corporation premises.
BREAKING NEWS from Kerala:
LDF councillors’ blockade against Thiruvananthapuram Mayor VV Rajesh over alleged oath-taking violations ends in a brawl.
Mayor and several BJP councillors injured. pic.twitter.com/orsLsNPr44
— News Arena India (@NewsArenaIndia) June 25, 2026
According to the BJP, the violence erupted despite the Kerala High Court having, a day earlier, directed BJP councillors to retake their oath while rejecting the plea seeking cancellation of their election.
The Kerala High Court’s verdict, delivered on June 24 in connection with the petition filed by a CPM councillor, held that the swearing-in in the name of God, Bharat Mata, Attukal Devi, Sree Narayana Gurudev and RSS martyrs was not legally valid.
However, the Court rejected the prayer seeking cancellation of the BJP councillors’ elections.
Within hours of the verdict, nineteen BJP councillors retook the oath on June 24 itself. The 20th councillor, R. Sugatan, is currently in jail in connection with what the BJP describes as a politically motivated case.
#WATCH | Thiruvananthapuram | LDF protest at the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation turned into a clash as CPIM councillors blocked Mayor VV Rajesh's way as he arrived at his office. This was followed by a scuffle between CPIM and BJP councillors.
The protest demanded the… pic.twitter.com/68GmizItsP
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2026
According to the BJP, the issue stood resolved after the councillors complied with the Court’s direction.
Despite this, the CPM continued to demand the Mayor’s resignation.
According to the BJP, CPM councillors were accompanied by party workers who attempted to block Mayor V.V. Rajesh, leading to tense scenes that were telecast live.
One woman councillor reportedly sustained a head injury during the violence, while Deputy Mayor Asha Natha was also allegedly attacked.
BJP leaders claimed that police intervention failed to control the situation and that several women councillors were trampled during the commotion, resulting in severe back and shoulder injuries.
Opposition councillors had stayed away from the swearing-in ceremony held on June 24 despite receiving prior communication regarding it.
However, they later alleged that the oath-taking was conducted in camera. The Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) supported the Left Democratic Front (LDF) on the issue.
BJP leader K. Surendran alleged that the police remained mute spectators during the violence. He claimed that nine BJP councillors were injured, including one who sustained a head injury. He further alleged that women councillors fell to the ground during the attack and were trampled by CPM workers.
Senior BJP leader V. Muraleedharan alleged that the incident was the latest example of a CPM attempt to defeat political opponents through muscle power. He stated that the UDF government’s police machinery failed to stop the violence and described the incident as another example of the INDIA alliance’s functioning in Keralam. He demanded an impartial inquiry into the incident.
The injured councillors have since been admitted to hospital for treatment. BJP leaders alleged that the violence was one of several attempts by the CPM to destabilise the BJP-led administration in the Tiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation.
Reacting to the incident, BJP Keralam President Rajeev Chandrasekhar posted on X that the CPM was frustrated after losing control of the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and subsequently losing power in Keralam. Referring to the recently released White Paper on the state’s finances, he alleged that the CPM was attempting to manufacture distractions to divert attention from its decade in power.
#WATCH | Keralam BJP president Rajeev Chandrasekhar says, "We had expected this and we had predicted this sometime now that the CPI(M)'s era of politics is getting over in Kerala. They have not only been decisively defeated in these Assembly elections, they have also been… https://t.co/B2aJ12oZGh pic.twitter.com/b7dFp2jNxJ
— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2026
“We understand the CPM’s frustration. It ruled the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation for 45 years. It lost. It ruled Keralam for 10 years. It lost. The White Paper on Keralam’s finances has exposed the truth about its decade in power. Unable to answer these failures, in sheer desperation, the CPM is manufacturing distractions,” he said.
Addressing Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the CPM leadership, Chandrasekhar further stated that while they could “create a riot and drama” in the Congress Speaker’s office, they could not barge into the BJP/NDA Mayor’s office or intimidate BJP/NDA elected representatives from discharging their constitutional duties. He added that the BJP had expected protests after Mayor V.V. Rajesh began exposing alleged corruption in the corporation but “did not expect this complete farce.”
