With just a couple of days remaining for the assembly polls in Kerala, BJP's candidate from Vattiyoorkavu constituency and former IPS officer R. Sreelekha walked out of an election event after External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar failed to mention her name during his speech.
The event organised at Mascot Hotel by the NDA for Sreelekha was inaugurated by the Union minister online. He urged the people to vote for BJP chief and NDA's Nemom candidate Rajeev Chandrasekhar but he did not mention Sreelekha's name or sought votes from the voters of Vattiyoorkavu constituency.
Immediately after the inauguration, Sreelekha walked out of the venue in protest. When BJP and RSS leaders approached her, she asked them why her name was not mentioned despite the event being organised to seek votes for her. She also expressed her disappointment to Rajeev Chandrasekhar. Later, she came back to the stage after senior BJP leaders like Thiruvananthapuram mayor V.V. Rajesh persuaded her to return to the venue.
Sreelekha became the first female IPS officer from the state to serve as DGP in 2017. In October 2024, she joined the BJP and was given a ticket in the Municipal Corporation polls in Thiruvananthapuram later in the year.
She won the elections and was among the contenders to the mayoral post. However, her name was dropped due to internal opposition and lack of political experience. V.V. Rajesh was eventually sworn in as the first BJP mayor of Thiruvananthapuram. During the swearing-in, she departed before the ceremony concluded allegedly over seating allocation.
When PM Narendra Modi arrived in Thiruvananthapuram in January, a viral video showed her staying back when other BJP leaders approached him. After the incident sparked speculations about her dissatisfaction, Sreelekha clarified that she was strictly adhering to professional discipline. In February, she skipped another meeting with the PM, citing health issues.