Autorickshaw Driver Became The Mayor In Tamil Nadu
Update: 2022-03-08 11:04 IST
Autorickshaw Driver Became The Mayor In Tamil Nadu
K Saravanan, a 42-year-old autorickshaw driver from Tamil Nadu's Thanjavur district, has been elected as the city's first mayor. Saravanan rode his autorickshaw to the oath-taking ceremony on Friday, hoping to emphasise the notion that he is still one of the people.
He was also the first mayor of Kumbakonam, which was just elevated to the status of a corporation. He won 964 of the total 2,100 votes cast in the temple city's ward 17 election.
The state's ruling DMK has nominated party members to lead 20 of the state's 21 companies, with one mayoral post reserved for the Congress. Despite the fact that the position was supposed to go to one of several senior party officials waiting in the wings, Saravanan was picked by the Congress high command.
Many major Congress figures congratulated Saravanan on Twitter, praising the party's leadership for selecting a candidate from a low-income family. WhileSaravanan claimed he was taken aback when the party told him he had been nominated for the top job.
Saravanan remarked that Thanjavur North Congress Committee district leader T R Loganathan invited him to his office and told him that he had a surprise for him. He had no idea what he was doing and going to happen with him. When he arrived at his office, he greeted him with a boisterous welcome. He welcomed him as calling him the 'Kumbakonam's first Mayor.' After listening to him, he was taken aback. Because there are so many top leaders and functionaries, he never expected this.
He continued that he told him that he was an auto driver, but their party's head stated he has the qualities to be Mayor and that the party will back him up in any way imaginable. Later, our state president, K S Alagiri, complimented him, and he received a phone call from Chief Minister M K Stalin, who inquired if he truly did work as an autorickshaw driver, to which he said yes. He expressed his gratitude for the chance, and he informed him that he would work hard to make Kumbakonam the best part in the state. Rahul Gandhi was also pleased with his nomination, according to our leaders.
When asked about his ambitions and further plans as Mayor, Saravanan stated that he is now focusing on the completion of subsurface drainage works, the restoration of damaged roads, and the provision of essential services such as drinking water, street lights, and so on.
Saravanan, who had completed Class X, lost both parents when he was young and was raised by his grandparents. In 1976, his grandpa T Kumarasamy was elected to the Kumbakonam municipality. Inspired by his grandfather, Saravanan joined the Congress in 2002 and was immediately selected to the role of ward leader and afterwards as the vice-president of the party's Kumbakonam unit.
Saravanan, who resides in a rented house in Thukkampalayam with his wife Devi and three children, has been operating the autorickshaw for over two decades. He claims to understand every corner and crevice of Kumbakonam, which has let him meet people from all 48 of the city's wards. He purchased his own autorickshaw seven years ago and relies on it for his livelihood.
The outbreak, like many others, took a toll on Saravanan's finances, and he stated that he was only managed to register his nomination for councillor with the support of ward members.