Malayinkeezhu: Turning 21 and stepping straight into the political arena — that’s how Ajanya S Aji is celebrating her birthday this year. The young undergraduate from Aji Bhavan, Machinad, has been announced as the LDF candidate for the Thachottukavu ward in the Malayinkeezhu panchayat.

A third-year undergraduate student at Madhavakavi Smaraka Government Arts and Science College, Malayinkeezhu, Ajanya’s entry into electoral politics has been unexpected. She currently serves as the third-year degree representative in the college union and as a local committee member of the SFI. Her candidature stems from the party’s decision to field an educated young woman in the ward, which is reserved for women.

Ajanya says she has been receiving an overwhelming response from voters and is hopeful of a win. She comes from a family with a strong political background — her father, S. Aji, a driver by profession, is an active party worker. Her mother, S. Sangeetha, works in a supermarket, while her younger sister, Ananya S. Aji, is a second-year degree student at Malayinkeezhu Government College.