21 Year Old Arya Rajendran, India’s youngest mayor from Kerala’s Capital
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.