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21-Year-Old, Daughter Of Auto Rickshaw Driver, Becomes Chennai Corp's Youngest Councillor
Writer: Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Tamil Nadu, 27 Feb 2022 10:03 AM GMT | Updated 27 Feb 2022 10:05 AM GMT
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Creatives : Shiva Chaudhary
A post-graduate in Journalism and Mass Communication with relevant skills, specialising in content editing & writing. I believe in the precise dissemination of information based on facts to the public.
Priyadarshini's father, an auto-rickshaw driver, has been a card-bearing party member for decades. She has also been active in politics since her college days.
A 21-year-old resident of Villivakkam, a neighbourhood of Chennai, Tamil Nadu, has made headlines as the youngest councillor to be elected to the Chennai Corporation. A Priyadarshini, the Communist Party of India (Marxist) CPI(M) loyalist, won with a considerable margin of 5,253 votes, while her opponent AIADMK candidate could manage just 3,408 votes.
Priyadarshini, daughter of a rickshaw driver, stood from ward 98 in Central Chennai, one among the 50 wards reserved for women candidates. Her party CPI(M), is in alliance with several other political parties such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK), Congress, Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK), Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), etc.
'Model Of Good Governance'
Priyadarshini pledged to make the ward a model of good governance. She said she would ensure the best civic amenities and that the residents' issues are resolved swiftly. She told the News Minute that she would end her ward's perennial water woes.
She said, "Right now, the 42,000 odd voters in my ward – even those belonging to the middle and upper classes – are dependent on water lorries or water cans for their potable water requirements. I want to reduce this dependence and find a permanent solution to their woes".
Active In Politics Since College
Priyadarshini, a Democratic Youth Federation of India (DYFI), says she didn't spend much for the elections. G Selva, central district secretary of the CPI(M), said she would be the face of change and set an example of how politicians should be.
Priyadarshini has been associated with CPI(M) since her childhood as her father, an auto-rickshaw driver, has been a card-bearing party member for decades. She has been active in politics since her college days. She graduated in Sociology from Stella Maris College and was involved in student politics (outside of the college). In the beginning, she was a member of the Students' Federation of India (SFI, the CPI(M) student wing. Later she joined the DYFI, the CPI(M) youth wing.
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