The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has experienced a significant setback in the Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation, losing a crucial by-election in the Vizhinjam ward. The bypoll, which was necessitated by the death of an independent candidate before the main local body elections, saw the United Democratic Front (UDF) candidate K.H. Sudheer Khan emerge victorious. Khan secured 2,902 votes, defeating the Left Democratic Front (LDF) candidate N. Noushad by a margin of 83 votes, who polled 2,819 votes. The BJP candidate, Sarvashaktipuram Binu, finished third with 2,437 votes in the closely fought contest. This outcome means the BJP, which had clinched power for the first time in the 101-member Thiruvananthapuram Municipal Corporation with 50 seats in the general local body elections held last month (December 2025), remains short of a simple majority. The required figure for a majority in the council is 51, and the party will now need to depend on the support of an independent councillor, P. Radhakrishnan, to govern effectively. The bypoll results also saw the UDF increase its tally in the civic body from 19 to 20 seats, marking a particular success for the Congress, a prominent constituent of the UDF. Across Kerala, other by-elections saw the UDF winning the Payimpadam ward and the LDF securing the Onakkoor ward. While the BJP had celebrated historic gains in the main December 2025 local body elections, which ended the LDF's 45-year dominance in Thiruvananthapuram, this bypoll loss complicates their path to an absolute majority. This development is highly relevant for Kerala's political landscape, especially in anticipation of the 2026 assembly elections.