21 yo Thiruvananthapuram woman set to become youngest Mayor

Arya Rajendran, 21 years old, is set to be the mayor of Thiruvananthapuram Corporation, becoming India’s youngest mayor. After the landslide victory of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) (CPM) in Kerala's local body elections last week, the CPM district secretary recommended Arya’s name for the position. 

The Left Democratic Front (LDF) led by the CPM had a clear majority of 52 seats of the total 100 seats in the Corporation. Arya was elected as the ward councillor from Mudavanmugal in Thiruvananthapuram city in the civic polls. 

A senior candidate from CPM Jameela Sreedharan, who won from Peroorkada ward as well as Gayathri Babu from Vanchiyoor ward were considered for the position of Thiruvananthapuram Mayor. However, in a bid to push for a mayor from a younger generation, Arya’s name was finalised by the party.

A B.Sc Mathematics student from the All Saints College, Thiruvananthapuram, Arya has been politically active since her student days. She has been a member of the Kerala State Committee of the Students Federation of India (SFI), and Kerala State President of Balasangham. Her father is an electrician, while her mother LIC agent.

Earlier, 26-year-old Mekala Kavya, mayor of the newly-formed Jawaharnagar Municipal Corporation, Medchal in Telangana, was the youngest mayor in India.