Arya Rajendran, 21, will be the new mayor of Thiruvanathapuram Corporation.
Thiruvananthapuram:
Arya Rajendran, the 21-year-old student who successfully challenged the recent civic elections in Kerala, has been officially nominated as the next mayor of the state capital Thiruvananthapuram, by her party, CPI (M), today. The party has won the majority in the corporation.
Ms. Rajendran will become the new mayor of Thiruvanathapuram Corporation, making her the youngest mayor in the state.
Ms. Rajendran, a BSc Maths sophomore at All Saints College, had won in the Mudavanmughal district of the city corporation, garnering 2,872 votes, 549 more than the rival candidate for Congress. Thiruvananthapuram Mayor K Sreekumar (CPI-M) had suffered a shocking defeat at the polls.
LDF won the majority of 53 of the 100 seats in Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, followed by NDA. The Congress-led UDF was again pushed to a third here.
By the way, this was also the first time that Ms Rajendran was able to cast her vote in local body elections due to her age.
“Although I had no right to vote in the last local body elections, I was still actively campaigning for the party’s candidate. That experience and exposure helped me this time as well. I have been actively involved with the party during the election campaign in the past.” Ms. Rajendran told NDTV.
Daughter of CPI (M) K activists Rajendran and Sreelatha, Ms. Rajendran has been associated with the party from a very young age. “From the time I remember my childhood, I was going to Balasangham. I may be around 5 years old. Now I am the president of Balasangham state. I am also a member of the state committee of the Indian Student Federation. My parents are members. from the committee of the CPI (M) members branch. And we strongly believe in what the party stands for, “said Arya Rajendran. Balasangham is the children’s wing of the CPI (M) and the Student Federation of India and is the of party students.
His father is an electrician and his mother is a LIC agent. She also has a brother. All members of the family are strong supporters of CPI (M).
“My family fully supported me and is very happy. I will not give up my studies. I will continue them. I also want to continue my higher studies in Public Administration,” Arya said when asked about her undergraduate studies.
When asked about becoming mayor at such a young age, Ms Rajendran said: “Democracy is not about one person leading alone, it is about deciding collectively and making decisions are implemented. The party has ushered in a new era with this decision and so many young candidates, including young candidates. “
“Growing up with the party, we have been repeatedly exposed to challenges and crisis management. One of the main examples is our own Chief Minister, Pinarayi Vijayan, and the way he communicated with people and leaders during various disasters, ”he added.
As mayor, her top priority would be waste management in the capital city, which has also been a challenging task for her predecessors.
“Our city is beautiful. To keep it like this, it should be free of debris. In addition to a scientific waste management system, a deep awareness is needed among the people not to throw waste to the sides,” Rajendran told the news agency PTI.
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