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 part of the Kochi Corporation betwixt 1988 and 2020, resigned from the party’s superior rank connected Tuesday (November 25).

Her determination came adjacent connected the heels of her determination to contention from her part arsenic an Independent campaigner aft rebelling against the section leadership. Ms. Prabhu has declined invitations from the United Democratic Front (UDF) and Twenty20 to contention arsenic their campaigner successful the upcoming election, reiterating her loyalty to the BJP, which she represented for implicit 3 decades.

“The determination is borne retired of governmental morality, since I americium contesting arsenic an Independent from Cheralayi against the enactment candidate. I felt it was close to resign. There is nary different reason, and I person nary plans to articulation immoderate different governmental party,” Ms. Prabhu told The Hindu.

The territory enactment of the BJP said she had astir apt submitted her resignation to the party’s State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar. “The party’s State vice-president B. Unnikrishnan and organisational caput L. Padmakumar had held negotiations with her successful an effort to bring her around. She had besides met the State president who requested her to retreat from contesting. She was adjacent offered a presumption successful the party’s nationalist executive. There is thing overmuch to bash now,” said K.S. Shaiju, president of the BJP’s territory metropolis committee for Kochi Corporation.

The enactment has fielded Pravitha Vijayakumar arsenic its authoritative campaigner from the Cheralayi division. Ms. Prabhu had earlier accused section leaders, who had allegedly enactment up a rebel campaigner against her successful the 2015 elections, of hijacking the enactment and ignoring grassroots level workers. She did not contention the section assemblage polls successful 2020, which she claimed was to marque mode for the youth.

This time, however, she demanded to beryllium fielded from the part erstwhile it was reserved for women, a petition the enactment turned down. Looking to instrumentality vantage of her rebellion, the UDF adjacent delayed announcing its campaigner from the part successful the anticipation of fielding her. Eventually, Ms. Prabhu filed her information arsenic an Independent candidate.