Two women, both aged 22 years and having a political background, have entered the fray in Coimbatore and Tiruppur respectively for the upcoming local body elections.
Nivetha Senathipathy, the daughter of DMK’s Coimbatore east district in-charge Maruthamalai Senathipathy, will contest for the post of ward councillor in Ward No. 97 of the Coimbatore Corporation.
Currently pursuing her M.A. in Psychology at a private university in Punjab, she told The Hindu on Thursday that her interest in social service led to her entry in politics. “It is easy to learn things at a young age,” Ms. Nivetha said. While acknowledging that Mr. Senathipathy was a factor in her political entry, she maintained that her father wanted her to explore politics on her own.
If elected, Ms. Nivetha said that she would focus on addressing the basic needs of the residents in Ward No. 97 such as improving the condition of roads, housing, toilets and streetlights. Efforts would also be taken to address the mental health issues of the residents caused due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she said.
In Tiruppur, A. Deepika was fielded by the DMK-Congress alliance for the post of ward councillor in Ward No. 55 of the Tiruppur Corporation. She is the daughter of A. Visalakshi, who become the first elected Mayor of Tiruppur Corporation in 2011 in an AIADMK ticket and is currently a member of the Amma Makkal Munnetra Kazhagam (AMMK).
However, Ms. Deepika said that her ideology was different from that of her mother and that she had always looked up to former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi as an inspiration, which prompted her to join the Congress in October 2020. Regarding the issues at Ward No. 55, she said that basic amenities of the residents were not addressed for over five years due to a lack of local body elections and expressed confidence that she would “make a good mediator” between the public and the officials to redress these issues, if elected.
Being a law student at a private college in Chennai, she said that pursuing a career in law would also be a priority along with her political career. “I want more youngsters to come forward,” Ms. Deepika said, adding that she believes her candidature in the urban local body elections would inspire more youth to enter politics.
