Thiruvananthapuram, Jan 1 (IANS) Days after he created history by becoming the first mayor from the BJP in Kerala, Thiruvananthapuram Corporation Mayor V.V. Rajesh was excited after getting a congratulatory letter from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Taking to his social media account, Rajesh wrote, “This recognition is the New Year’s gift given to Kerala by the Honorable Prime Minister. The political change in Thiruvananthapuram is the result of decades of hard work by BJP workers in Kerala. This recognition is the New Year’s gift given to Kerala by Modiji,” said Rajesh and shared the letter also.

Incidentally, in the state, there are six Corporations, and Rajesh created history when he was elected as the first mayor in Kerala from the BJP, after the NDA won 50 seats in the 101-member council.

The BJP touched the magical figure of 61 after getting the support of one of the two Independents.

The party wrested the Corporation from the CPI(M)- led Left Front, which had been ruling it for over four decades.

In the letter, PM Modi congratulated Rajesh as well as the deputy mayor, Asha Nath, and pointed out that the BJP’s success in the Kerala capital was a reflection of people’s faith in the party’s vision of development and good governance.

“In the midst of the festive season and as we begin the year 2026, history was made in the great city of Thiruvananthapuram when you took oath as the Mayor of the city,” the Prime Minister wrote, adding that the occasion would “truly signify” a historic political shift.

Recalling his memories of the city, PM Modi said Thiruvananthapuram holds “a place of pride in the minds of every Malayali” and is “blessed by Sree Padmanabhaswamy”.

He noted that as the capital of Kerala, the city has nurtured “thought leaders, social reformers, artists, musicians, poets, cultural giants, saints and seers”, and said that the BJP being blessed by such a city was “very humbling”.

“Our vision to build a Vikasit Thiruvananthapuram has resonated with people across the city, from all sections of society,” the Prime Minister wrote, stating that voters had seen the work of the BJP-led government at the Centre and its efforts towards urban development in different states.

Thanking the people of the city, he said, “I thank the people of this city for the warmth.”

The Prime Minister underlined that the victory had brought “immense happiness and pride” to BJP workers in Kerala and across India.

“Powered by the blessings of the people of Thiruvananthapuram, what has happened is epoch-making. It is a milestone written in golden letters,” he said.

“The success of our Party in the capital of Kerala signals that the people of the state, especially the youngsters and women, are ready for a new dawn. The BJP-NDA is emerging as the people’s option, rooted in nationalism without exclusion, development without corruption and governance without appeasement. The fixed match of the LDF and UDF of being friends in Delhi and ‘rivals’ in Kerala is about to end soon. Kerala wants to break free from their broken promises,” wrote the PM in the letter.

Meanwhile, the top state BJP leadership has already announced that they are waiting for PM Modi to arrive in the state capital city later this month, which could be the launch of the BJP’s Assembly election campaign.

The Assembly polls are expected to be held in April/May, and after winning the reins of a Corporation, the entire state party unit is geared to ensure that they will open their account in the 140-member Kerala Assembly.

In 2016, O. Rajagopal, a veteran BJP leader, became the party’s first legislator when he won from the Nemom Assembly constituency, but the party failed to retain the seat at the 2021 polls.

–IANS

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