Mayor Arya Rajendran's lack of experience may cost CPM TVM Corp rule, worries party dist panel

Thiruvananthapuram: The CPM district committee feels that the lack of experience of Mayor Arya Rajendran could cost the party its rule over Thiruvananthapuram Corporation. This is a serious climbed of fortunes for Arya who was hailed for being the youngest mayor in the country.

At a meet of the panel here on Saturday, party leaders said her actions threaten the party's control of the local body. The meeting was held to review the CPM-led LDF’s heavy loss in the recent Lok Sabha elections, in which the alliance could only match the one seat it secured in the 2019 polls while the Congress-led UDF won 18 seats and the BJP opened its account in Kerala by winning the Thrissur constituency.

It is learned that some members hinted that Arya should be replaced. But this was met with sevee opposition with many arguing that changing the mayor would validate the opposition's claims of municipal governance failure, especially with only a year and a half remaining for the next local body elections.

The committee also addressed a recent controversy involving the mayor and her husband and MLA Sachin Dev, who had a heated argument with KSRTC driver HL Yadhu here at the Palayam junction. Arya then claimed the confrontation was due to the driver's alleged sexually suggestive gestures towards her and her sister-in-law, which Yadhu denied. The district committee reviewed the incident as embarrassing and concluded the intervention by the mayor and MLA as immature.

Further criticisms were directed at Arya's lack of experience in office, which was seen as causing setbacks in city administration. The party selected her to the post in 2020 when she was 21, making her the youngest mayor in India.
Similar complaints were also raised in the Thiruvananthapuram district secretariat meeting on Friday, party sources said.
The committee also slammed the state government's administration, particularly the suspension of welfare pensions, which they believe negatively impacted the party in the Lok Sabha elections. They pointed out that employees and pensioners are dissatisfied, and local bodies lack sufficient funds for administration.