The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation in Kerala found itself in a tricky situation on Wednesday after the Kerala High Court directed 20 councillors to retake their oaths within four weeks.

While Deputy Mayor G.S. Ashanath and councillor R. Vinod took their oath in January in the name of Bharath Matha, some of the councillors took oath in the name of ‘balidaanis’ (martyrs in Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh parlance). Several of them took oath in the name of Sree Padmanabhaswamy, while a few opted for ‘Attukal Amma’. Some chose to take oath in the name of their local deities, like Thiruvallam councillor Gopakumar who took oath in the name of Thiruvallam Parasuraman, Kamaleswaram councillor V. Giri in the name of Irumkulangara Durga Bhagavathi, Pangode councillor Vishnu Mohan in the name of Udiyannoor Devi. Valiyasala councillor V.S. Soorya took oath in the name of ‘Kaavilamma’.

The situation is even more concerning for the BJP as one among the 20 councillors is R. Sugathan, who was arrested under the Kerala Anti-Social Activities (Prevention) Act (KAAPA), and currently lodged at the high-security correctional facility at Viyyur Central Prison in Thrissur. With over 19 criminal cases, including several serious charges such as attempted murder, it remains to be seen whether he will be able to retake his oath within the next four weeks. Mr. Sugathan had taken his oath in the name of ‘Gurudevan’.

Both the CPI(M)-led Left Democratic Front (LDF) and the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF) have been demanding his removal from the council.

LDF council party leader S.P. Deepak had moved the petition against the 20 BJP councillors, demanding their disqualification.