Kochi: In a pre-poll jolt to the United Democratic Front (UDF) in Kochi, Vyttila councillor Sunitha Dixon has quit the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP) and joined the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). BJP State President Rajeev Chandrasekhar formally announced her induction at a function held in Kochi on Saturday.

Dixon, who had tendered her resignation from the RSP through WhatsApp about a week ago, had long been at odds with both her party and the Congress-led UDF in the corporation. The rift began when she refused to step down as chairperson of the Works Standing Committee, despite an internal agreement with the Congress to share the post.

RSP Ernakulam district general secretary George Stephen said that according to the arrangement, Dixon was to hand over the chairpersonship to Congress councillor VK Minimol after one and a half years, followed by Seena Teacher for the final six months. However, Dixon denied any such understanding and declined to vacate the post, prompting Congress to move a no-confidence motion against her.

“Initially, at her request, we had an agreement with the UDF to extend her tenure as the chairperson for six months. But even after the completion of the term, she refused to step down. She violated the party whip, and there was a legal battle over it. She was planning to join the BJP, and we were expecting it,” Stephen told Onmanorama.

Following the standoff, both the RSP and the Congress filed an election petition accusing her of violating the party whip. “Facing likely disqualification, Dixon resigned in April 2024. Effectively, she has been out of the party since then. She was removed from key positions in the party. But we chose not to expel her officially, as that would have allowed her to act independently, disregarding party directives. She knew that she would not be able to contest from either the RSP or the Congress. She might have jumped the ship because of that,” Stephen said.

Meanwhile, Dixon did not comment on the rift within the party or what led to her resignation. “I have submitted my resignation already and joined the BJP today. I want to serve the people from the BJP,” she said. 

Dixon was first elected as a councillor in 2010 on a Congress ticket from the Vyttila division, and later contested and failed as a Congress rebel in 2015 over a conflict of interest. She later joined the RSP after the UDF allotted the seat to the party in 2020.