TENKASI: This time, Therkumedu in Shengottai Union has the honour of electing the State’s youngest panchayat president. 21-year-old K Anu secured 534 (43.84 per cent) votes and won the recently-held local body polls. Seven candidates were in the fray for the post and four of them lost their deposit.
“My father V Kannan was the panchayat president for three consecutive terms. Owing to his exceptional service, the villagers wanted him to become president this time too. However, the Election Commission recently reserved our panchayat for general women. Since I grew up watching my father’s service for the people, I threw my hat in the ring to continue his services,” Anu told TNIE. She had completed her bachelor’s degree in English from Sri Parasakthi College for Women at Courtallam just this year.
“I know how much the people here love and trust me. I have to now prove to them that I am not an accidental president, by serving them in my own style. I have a lot of initiatives in my mind for the village’s betterment. As our panchayat shares its border with Kerala, my villagers have to travel at least 10 km to reach an e-Sevai Centre to apply for any government scheme. I am going to take steps to start a centre in my village itself,” she said.
Installing an incinerator in the village for disposing sanitary napkins, increasing the number of bus services, helping more persons avail benefits of government schemes and bringing more transparency in the administration are on Anu’s priority list.
Walking in father’s footsteps
Anu says her father V Kannan was the panchayat president for three consecutive terms and she received the support of villagers owing to his exceptional service. “I grew up watching my father serve the people,” says Anu
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