TN civic rural polls: Young engineering graduate becomes village panchayat president

TENKASI: R Sharu Kala, a 22-year-old engineering (BE) graduate, is all set to become President for the Venkatampatti panchayat (reserved for women) of Kadayam Union.

Kala completed her graduation in 2020 and is pursuing a master's degree in engineering in the Hindustan Institute of Technology, Coimbatore. She is one of the five women who contested for the presidential post of her panchayat, and secured 3,336 (52.44 %) of total votes polled in the election. Three candidates against her lost their deposit. Speaking to TNIE, Kala said making her village number one panchayat in India, bringing drinking water facility to the doorstep of every household under Jal Jeevan Mission Scheme and promoting hygiene among the villagers are on her list of priorities.

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"My father Ravi Subramanian, a farmer, unsuccessfully contested in the 2011 local body election. However, he continued to serve the villagers under our panchayat. He supplied free drinking water for people when there was water scarcity in our panchayat two years ago. At that time I thought if I had the power, I would have done more for the people of this drought hit panchayat. Since this panchayat was reserved for women this time, I boldly swung into action," she told TNIE.

Kala said the people of her panchayat had voted for her, considering her as their daughter, and she will serve them back as much as she can. Her mother is a government school teacher.