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Arya Rajendran, one of India’s youngest mayors, bid an emotional farewell as she vacated the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation chair following the announcement of local body elections by the State Election Commission, on Monday, November 10.
In a Facebook post, the CPI(M) leader reflected on her journey from a student activist to becoming the Mayor of Kerala’s capital at the age of 21 in 2020.
“I was born and raised in an ordinary family — my father, a worker, my mother, and my brother. The political awareness my parents had deeply influenced both of us from a young age,” Arya wrote, recalling how her childhood struggles shaped her understanding of people’s hardships. “It was that life which taught me to recognize whether the pain on someone’s face was from hunger or sorrow.”
Arya recalled that her entry into electoral politics was unexpected. “When the party decided that I should contest the 2020 local body elections, I was just 21. Though I was active in student politics, contesting an election was new to me. But with the party’s full support, the hard work of comrades in Mudavanmugal, and the love of the people, I could create history there,” she said.
Looking back on her five years in office, Arya described the period as transformative. “These five years have given me the strength to face any situation ahead,” she said. “From personal insults to false propaganda, the people of this city stood by me and my party protected me — that’s something I’ll never forget.”
She also highlighted the city’s achievements under her leadership, including the UN-Habitat award for sustainable development. “When our city’s name was called alongside mine — ‘Thiruvananthapuram, India’ — it was a moment of immense pride,” she noted.
Recalling her association with Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, Arya wrote, “No one could be a better example of overcoming challenges. He has always encouraged young people like me. Knowing that such a person was there for us gave me courage, even when I didn’t have to approach him personally.”
From a girl who lived in a rented house that leaked when it rained to the mayor of Kerala’s capital, Arya said her journey symbolized what people’s politics can achieve. “Only a party of workers and ordinary people could take such a decision,” she wrote.
Meanwhile on Monday The Left Democratic Front (LDF) unveiled its candidate list for the upcoming Thiruvananthapuram Corporation elections. Candidates have been announced for 93 of the 100 wards, with the remaining names expected shortly. Interestingly, outgoing Mayor Arya Rajendran is not among those contesting this time. According to the seat-sharing arrangement, the CPI(M) will field candidates in 70 wards, while its allies will contest 31. The CPI will vie for 17 wards, Kerala Congress (M) and RJD will each contest three, JD(S) two, and one each has been allotted to INL, Congress (S), NCP, Kerala Congress (B), Janadhipathya Kerala Congress, and JSS.