At an age when many people pursue their higher education, Arya Rajendran is all set to reportedly become India’s youngest mayor. Kerala has chosen 21-year-old Arya Rajendran as its mayoral candidate for Thiruvananthapuram after the party’s district committee and state committee sanctioned her candidature. The Communist Party of India- Marxist (CPI-M) has selected Rajendran as its mayor candidate after the party won a majority in the 100-member council. Still a college student, Arya is now set to be the youngest person in India to ever take charge of the mayor of a city.
The party has won 51 seats in the 100-member council in the recently concluded local body elections. The BJP with 35 seats, is the main opposition. The Congress-led UDF was relegated to the third place with 10 councillors. There are four independent councillors in the corporation. “It’s the decision of the party and I abide by it. During the elections, people preferred me as I am a student and the public wanted their representative to be well educated. I will continue my education and will discharge my duties as a Mayor,” Rajendran told media persons.
Hindustan Times has reported that Rajendran is the daughter of an electrician and a LIC agent. Her single storey house doesn’t have a motorable road, the report says. Rajendran is not the only young person elected in the latest polls in Kerala. 22-year-old Johnys P. Stephen, a Masters student, is now set to chair Kerala’s Uzhavoor panchayat, where he won as an Independent candidate.
News agency IANS said that the name of Gayatri Babu, 23-year-old councillor, also came up for the post of mayor, but Rajendran was given nod as she heads the state’s “Balasangam”, the party`s children`s wing and also is the CPI(M) area committee member.
