Five years ago, the Communist Party of India (Marxist)’s [CPI(M)] decision to field Arya Rajendran as a candidate in the Thiruvananthapuram Corporation and her subsequent taking over as the youngest Mayor in the country at the age of 21 had come as a surprise to her as well as everyone else. Although not a contestant this time around, she is very much in the thick of electioneering, with a plan to “campaign in all the 101 wards, if possible,” as The Hindu catches up with her for an interview at her home in Mudavanmugal.
“Such a huge responsibility and wide range of possibilities opened up for me in 2020 only as a result of the party’s political decision. All of us party workers are taught to think of how we can work for the benefit of others, not how we can benefit from the party or from various positions. One need not be a people’s representative to intervene in people’s issues and help others. It is for the party to decide who has to carry out various responsibilities based on the political situation,” says Ms. Rajendran, when asked about her future political plans.
Speaking on the early days in the Corporation administration, to which she was thrust into when she was still a degree student, she recollects the support provided by the officials and V.K. Prasanth, MLA, a former Mayor, who helped to familiarise herself with the council proceedings. “I used to watch videos of old council meetings and Budget sessions to understand how a Mayor is supposed to behave. But no one treated me without respect or kindness because of my age,” she says.
Major achievements
Green interventions under the Carbon-neutral city project and Thiruvananthapuram becoming the civic body to provide largest number of houses under the LIFE project are among the most satisfying achievements for her in the past five years
“As a young Mayor, one of my initial concerns was to go beyond the usual developmental approach of focussing just on roads and buildings. The introduction of 115 electric buses in the city, installation of rooftop solar panels in all government buildings, the seed ball campaign and the study of carbon emission from the construction sector, all have ensured that Thiruvananthapuram remains a city with exceptional air quality. The only disappointment is that we could not complete the process for gaining carbon credits,” she says.
It has also been an equally tumultuous period for the Corporation, with the Opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) staging strong protests over alleged revenue fund misappropriation, allegations of favouritism in temporary appointments and various other corruption charges. The Mayor has always maintained that the investigation into most of these allegations were initiated after complaints from her side, with the Opposition taking it up later.
“None of the baseless allegations affected me. I can remember with satisfaction that the Left Democratic Front was able to win all of the four byelections during this term, including one in a BJP sitting seat. All byelections happened in the shadow of these allegations and there were even concerns that the Mayor’s campaigning could affect the candidate’s chances. However, the people could see through these allegations. But there were personal attacks too, especially in cyberspace, in which my family members also came into the picture.I was worried that some of these will remain on digital platforms when my child grows up. My family’s support has been crucial during this period,” she says.
On the BJP’s push to capture power in the Corporation, she says that people realise that the BJP has only tried to torpedo developmental efforts in the city.
“The BJP councillors allege that we have done nothing for waste management, yet when we try to set up a plant, they will be the first one to protest. When the Smart Road work was going on, they even filled up the pits which were dug and slowed down the work. They have boycotted adalats. They could not take a humane stand even to help their own fellow councillor K. Anilkumar, who committed suicide due to financial crisis in a cooperative society. The only thing that the BJP and and its State president Rajeev Chandrasekhar has continuously done is to claim credit for all the work we have done,” she says.
Her immediate plans after the elections is to catch up on her studies and attend the first exam for BA in public administration. She is also readying herself for organisational work as the district committee member of the CPI(M).
Published – November 15, 2025 09:28 am IST
