Fake signature row turns into battle between BJP, CPI-M in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation

Thiruvananthapuram: A controversy over alleged fake signatures in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation has taken a dramatic turn, with BJP Mayor V.V. Rajesh accusing CPI(M) councillor S.P. Deepak of forging signatures and announcing plans to approach the police on Friday.

The counter-allegation has turned the signature row into a tit-for-tat battle between the BJP-led ruling council and the CPI(M)-led Opposition.

What began as an allegation against the Mayor has now come back to haunt the complainant, with both sides seeking to establish whose version will stand up to scrutiny.

Deepak had earlier accused Rajesh and councillor R. Sugathan of manipulating the Corporation's attendance records.

He alleged that Sugathan's signatures had been forged to show his presence at council meetings held on February 26, March 11 and April 27, when he was reportedly absconding after being booked under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA).

The complaint led the Museum Police to register a case naming Rajesh as the first accused, Sugathan as the second accused and the Corporation secretary as the third accused.

Rajesh, however, has rejected the allegations and claimed that Sugathan had attended all three meetings.

He said the Corporation's official photographer had taken photographs showing Sugathan at the meetings.

Digital images carrying date and time details had also been handed over to the police, he said.

The Mayor further pointed out that Deepak himself had shared a live video and photographs on social media showing Sugathan at the April 27 meeting.

He accused the CPI(M) councillor of approaching the police without checking his own social media posts.

Now, Rajesh has turned the tables by alleging that Deepak manipulated signatures in a letter submitted by LDF councillors seeking a special meeting of the Corporation Council.

The Mayor said there were glaring discrepancies in the signatures and announced that he would lodge a complaint with the Museum Police.

The fresh allegation has opened a second front in the same signature war.

The police will now have to examine rival claims involving alleged forgery, with each side accusing the other of wrongdoing.

The confrontation has acquired added political significance since the BJP made history in December 2025 by capturing power in the Corporation for the first time, ending more than four decades of the CPI(M)-led rule.

For a council already divided by a bitter political battle, the question now is whose signatures will survive police scrutiny and whose allegations will come unstuck.

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