While announcing the names of the Congress candidates who will be contesting in the 2021 Kerala Assembly election, the party’s Kerala chief Mullappally Ramachandran took a few moments to specially introduce one candidate in particular — 27-year-old Aritha Babu. “She is the youngest candidate of the Congress,” said Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) President Mullappally at the press conference in New Delhi on Sunday. Congress has fielded Aritha from her native of Kayamkulam in the Alappuzha district of Kerala.
Hailing from a humble background, Aritha is a model candidate of the Congress party, said KPCC president Mullappally Ramachandran. “She hails from a marginalised community. She sells the milk from her cow every day to make a living and support her family. She spends the rest of her time towards various social and political works. She is the Congress party’s model candidate. The party is proud to field her,” said Mullappally.
Aritha is a post-graduate in Social Works and is presently pursuing her Masters in Commerce. She will be contesting against U Prathiba, CPI(M)’s leading and sitting Member of Legislative Assembly (MLA), in Kayamkulam.
Aritha was previously elected to Alappuzha District Panchayat in 2015-20. According to reports, Aritha was the youngest District Panchayat member while being elected in 2015.
After her name was officially announced, Aritha took to Facebook, where she said, “Be with me.”
According to reports, Aritha entered politics through student politics, She has held posts in Kerala Students Union (KSU), the student wing of Congress party, and the Youth Congress, the youth wing of the party. Aritha was the KSU Vice-President in the Kayamkulam constituency in the 2015-16 period. She was also elected as the Mandalam Secretary of Youth Congress in 2011. Currently, she holds the post of Block General Secretary of the Youth Congress.
Talking to the media on Sunday, Aritha said that being the native of Kayamkulam, she believes she can give a good performance in the Assembly polls. “My name was considered; that is a big recognition for me,” Aritha told Manorama News.
Meanwhile, soon after Congress announced its candidate list, senior party leader and chief of Kerala Pradesh Mahila Congress, the women’s wing of the party, Lathika Subash resigned from her post and tonsured her head in protest. Hitting out at the Congress leadership, Lathika Subash stated that her resignation was against the party not giving due importance to the women in the party. Among the 86 candidates who were announced on Sunday, less than 10 seats were allotted to women candidates.