Kottayam: Palai in Kerala’s Kottayam district on Friday etched its name in the record books when 21-year-old Diya Binu Pulikkakandam assumed office as Chairperson of the Palai Municipality, becoming the youngest municipal chairperson in the country and scripting a rare chapter in India’s local governance history.
Diya’s elevation, which came after days of intense political negotiations in a fractured municipal council, marks a decisive generational shift in the leadership of the historic town.
Her ascent is being seen not merely as a personal milestone but also as a statement on youth, resilience and political continuity.
Her rise carries a strong political subtext as well.
Diya is the daughter of former municipal chairperson Binu Pulikkakandam and the niece of councillor Biju Pulikkakandam, both seasoned figures in Palai’s local political landscape.
Significantly, all three members of the Pulikkakandam family won as independents in the recent municipal elections.
For the family, Diya’s victory is widely viewed as political vindication.
In 2023, Binu Pulikkakandam was unceremoniously removed from the chairperson’s post by Kerala Congress (M) leader Jose K. Mani, triggering widespread resentment among supporters.
Two years later, the chairperson’s position has returned to the family — this time through the next generation — completing what many describe as a quiet yet decisive comeback.
The family’s decision to field three independent candidates had initially drawn sharp criticism and ridicule.
However, the electoral verdict decisively turned the narrative in their favour.
A BA Economics graduate from Madras Christian College, Diya entered the political fray at her father’s urging and accepted the challenge without hesitation.
Her campaign, marked by clarity of ideas and quiet confidence, struck a chord with voters in Ward 15, where she won by a margin of 131 votes.
In a municipality where no political front secured a clear majority, post-election negotiations became inevitable.
During the talks, the Pulikkakandam family made it clear that their support would hinge on Diya being elected chairperson — a condition that was ultimately accepted by the Congress-led United Democratic Front (UDF).
Diya now heads a municipal council that includes her father and uncle as councillors — an unusual but constitutionally valid arrangement that has sparked both debate and admiration.
She has indicated that she intends to pursue higher education even while discharging her responsibilities as chairperson.
Politically, Diya’s elevation also delivers another setback to Jose K. Mani, whose party is the third-largest ally in the ruling Left Democratic Front.
Jose’s father, the late K.M. Mani, represented the Palai Assembly constituency uninterruptedly from 1967 until his death in 2019.
After Jose joined the Left ahead of the 2020 local body elections, he lost the Palai Assembly seat in 2021 and has now seen the municipality — long regarded as a Mani stronghold — slip away.
For Palai, the message is unmistakable: the electorate has placed its faith in youth.
Diya Binu’s response, she says, will be governance driven by vision, inclusion and long-term development.
(IANS)
