Thiruvananthapuram's 21-year-old B.Sc student all set to become India's youngest mayor

Thiruvananthapuram, Dec 26: Arya Rajendran, a 21-year-old B.Sc Maths student, is all set to become India's youngest mayor ever. Arya, whose entire family are supporters of the CPM, is to be named by the party as head of the Thiruvananthapuram City Corporation, after the LDF won 51 of its 100 wards in the recent polls.

Arya won from Mudavanmukal ward. "Ours is a party family," says father KM Rajendran, explaining Arya's interest in politics. Rajendran, wife Sreelatha, an LIC agent, and son Aravind, who did automobile engineering and works in the Middle East now, are CPM members too.

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According to reports, the 21-year-old first became associated with the CPM when she joined its children's collective Baalasangham as early as Class 5.

It can be seen that half of the seats in Kerala's local bodies are reserved for women, while top elected posts are kept aside for women for alternate terms. The last mayor being popular leader VK Prasanth, it was the turn of a woman to hold the post. The two women leaders the CPM had projected as mayor candidates both lost the election.

It should be noted that the school and college she studied in, Carmel Girls' Higher Secondary School, are Church-run institutions that do not look favourably on campus politics. Arya expects she will not be able to attend classes regularly once she takes up her new assignment.