In a dramatic incident, R. Sreelekha, the NDA candidate from Vattiyoorkavu, on Monday walked out of an election programme attended virtually by Union External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar after he failed to mention her name during his speech.
Sreelekha left the stage abruptly, reportedly feeling slighted when the minister mentioned BJP state president Rajeev Chandrasekhar but did not refer to her, despite the event being held in her constituency.
Senior party leaders quickly intervened, followed her, and persuaded her to return to the programme. She later rejoined the event after their mediation.
Sreelekha, a former DGP and Kerala’s first woman IPS officer, had earlier expressed dissatisfaction within the party.
She had been reportedly disappointed at not being considered for the Thiruvananthapuram Mayor’s post and had initially shown reluctance about contesting from Vattiyoorkavu before eventually accepting the candidacy.