Former Congress chairperson of North Paravur municipality joins BJP

Valsala Prasannakumar, former chairperson of the North Paravur municipality and general secretary of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee, joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday (February 24, 2026).

She received the party membership from Rajeev Chandrasekhar, State president of the BJP, at a function held at the party headquarters in Thiruvananthapuram. She said that she was attracted by the development agenda and women empowerment initiatives of the BJP- led National Democratic Alliance at the Centre.

Ms. Prasannakumar, who was the elected as the chairperson of the North Paravur municipality in the council led by the United Democratic Front in 2000 and 2010, said that she was ready to contest against Leader of the Opposition V. D Satheesan in the North Paravur Assembly constituency, if given a ticket by the BJP.

She has been staying away from the Congress party for the last six years following differences with the local leadership in North Paravur, which had worsened after the local body elections in 2025. Though she could sail through in the final lap, she was able to garner a majority of four votes only from the Pallamthuruth ward. She had alleged that people within the Congress party had tried to defeat her.