Thiruvananthapuram: The CPI (M) chose Arya Rajendran, 21, as its candidate for mayor after the district committee and the party’s state committee approved her candidacy. She is a first-time director of the Mudavanmugal division of the Thiruvananthapuram corporation.
Arya Rajendran is a Bachelor of Mathematics student and is a member of the party’s Chala area committee. She will be the youngest mayor in the country, and with this, the party leadership hopes to have more educated women in the leadership role.
The party has won 51 seats on the 100-member council in the recently concluded local body elections. The BJP with 35 seats, is the main opposition. The UDF led by Congress was relegated to third place with 10 councilors. There are four independent directors in the corporation.
The CPI (M) had screened the former chairman of the Pushpalatha Health Standing Committee, the leader of the teachers union AG Olena and Jameela Sreedharan as its candidates for mayor. While Pushplatha and Olena lost in the election, the party preferred 21-year-old Arya Rajendran over Jameela Sreedharan, who is a retired government employee.
The name of a 23-year-old first-time councilor from the Vanchiyoor division, Gayatri Babu, had also come up during the discussion, but Arya received the green signal as she is the state president of “Balasangam”, the children’s wing party and also member of the CPI (M) area committee.
Arya Rajendran, while speaking to the media, said: “It is the party’s decision and I abide by it. During the elections, people preferred me because I am a student and the public wanted their representative to have a good education. I will continue my education and fulfill my duties as mayor. “
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