Woman Student Elected as Panchayat President

Tell My Story

22-year-old elected Panchayat President R Sharukala wants to provide piped drinking water supply to every house and ensure 100% literacy in her panchayat.

22-year-old R Sharukala is still in college doing her master’s in engineering, but she has already been elected as President of the Venkadampatti Panchayat, reserved for women in the newly carved Tenkasi district of Tamil Nadu. “I am excited about this opportunity and the trust my people have placed in me, the youngest among five candidates” Sharukala told TellMyStory.in

The young lady who fought as an independent candidate secured 3036 votes against 8436 votes.

My dream and priority, Sharukala says “is to provide piped drinking water to every house in our panchayat. For 15 years we haven’t resolved this. I would also ensure 100% literacy. I want our panchayat to be the number one in the country“.

An ME student of the Hindustan Institute of Technology in Coimbatore, Sharukala would work with 12 other elected men and women. She is confident that her academic pressure wouldn’t hamper her responsibilities. The young leader also wants many more educated young men and women to enter politics in rural local bodies. “Educated young people can do a lot much better than others” she adds.

Her father Mr Ravi Subramanian a farmer, had lost elections for the same post last time. When asked if she would let her father become her proxy, she strongly denied saying “I’d function independently on my own. I’d discuss, build consensus and take decisions“.

When asked would she want to become an MLA or MP in the years to come, she said “No, I’ve not thought about anything like that at all“.

Nine reconstituted districts went for rural local body polls. The ruling DMK has swept these elections.