CPI(M) MLA V K Prasanth interacts with a differently-abled person at his office.
Thiruvananthapuram: An ongoing row in Thiruvananthapuram over a CPI(M) MLA's office room seems to be a political ploy of the BJP to frame the MLA in a bad light and thereby brighten their chances in the Assembly polls that are approaching.
MLA V K Prasanth, who is caught up in the row, represents Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency, which the BJP considers as one of the seats with high chances of winning.
Prasanth, who was a former mayor of Thiruvananthapuram, became Vattiyoorkavy MLA in 2019 by-poll and also won in 2021 general elections. He is all likely to contest from the seat again owing to his active involvement in the constituency.
In the 2016 and 2021 general elections BJP was the runner-up at Vattiyoorkavu. In the recent local body polls also, BJP had an upper hand in most of the wards under the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly constituency.
For these reasons, the BJP is having high hopes of winning the Vattiyoorkavu seat in the Assembly polls that are expected to happen in the next few months.
Moreover, there are also strong rumours that R Sreelekha will be BJP candidate at Vattiyoorkavu this time.
Sreelekha, who has been elected as BJP councillor in Thiruvananthapuram corporation, has asked Prasanth to vacate his MLA office situated in a building of the city corporation at Sasthamangalam, where the ward councillor's office is also situated. The former DGP and maiden woman IPS officer from Kerala, cited paucity of space.
Prasanth not just declined it citing a valid rent agreement with the city corporation, but also alleged that it was a political move of the BJP that came to power in the city corporation for the first time.
What followed was a barrage of criticisms and allegations against the CPI(M) MLA ranging from misuse of his rooms in the MLA quarters, which is also situated in the Vattiyoorkavu Assembly segment.
The Congress also backed the BJP's line and asked the rationale of the CPI(M) MLA setting up his office in the city corporation's congested building despite having space at MLA quarters nearby.
Sreelekha occupies ward councillor's office space by offering prayers in front of a Bharatamba picture.
On Tuesday Sreelekha formally occupied the ward councillor's office space by offering prayers in front of a picture of Bharatamba with saffron flag. She also posted a video of the garbage dumped on the office premises.
Prasanth is posting videos and photos of common people meeting him at his office to take up their grievances