The Thiruvananthapuram mayor allegedly wrote to the district CPM secretary seeking “preference” candidates to fill 295 vacancies in the civic body, prompting fresh charges of nepotism against Kerala’s ruling party.

Arya Rajendran was lauded as the country’s youngest mayor when the CPM member assumed charge in December 2020, aged 21.

Now she’s in the dock with a picture of a letter, carrying a signature resembling hers and printed on the mayor’s letterhead, circulating on social media.

The letter, addressed to Thiruvananthapuram district CPM secretary Anavoor Nagappan, “informs” him about vacancies in 295 temporary posts — one public health expert, 74 doctors, 66 staff nurses, 64 pharmacists, 23 lab technicians, two optometrists, 59 multi-purpose workers and six sweepers.

The letter seeks a “preference list” from Nagappan. Nagappan has claimed he did not receive any such letter, and Arya has denied any knowledge of the letter, dated November 1.

She has said she was out of town that day and could not have signed it, and stressed that the posts mentioned in the letter had been advertised well before November 1.

M.B. Rajesh, Kerala’s minister for local self-government, has declared that all the 295 posts would be filled through the employment exchange.

But the Congress-led United Democratic Front and the BJP have been attacking Arya relentlessly, seeking her resignation.

UDF councillors blocked the main gate at the city corporation on Tuesday, anticipating the mayor’s arrival.

BJP councillors blocked the front door of her office, which Arya had to enter through her personal assistant’s room.

Arya had on Sunday met chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan and handed him a letter seeking an inquiry.

The police crime branch have begun an investigation into the origin of the letter but have not registered an FIR.

“I have neither directly nor indirectly written such a letter. There is no precedent for such letters addressed to CPM leaders, and no one has seen the original letter,” Arya had told reporters after meeting Vijayan.

“I need this letter investigated properly; I don’t suspect anyone from my office.”

The controversy comes at a time the Left Democratic Front government is already facing allegations of nepotism in university appointments.

State CPM secretary M.V. Govindan has extended all support to Arya and said the party does not believe in backdoor entries.

“Job vacancies are already being filled through the employment exchange,” he said.

Congress lawmaker Ramesh Chennithala has accused the district CPM secretaries of having become “recruitment agents” for government jobs.

The BJP has been trying to involve governor Arif Mohammed Khan whose relationship with the state government is already strained. The BJP Thiruvananthapuram district president, V.V. Rajesh, asked why the police had not registered an FIR.

“Nobody has seen the so-called complaint the mayor submitted to the chief minister, nor has an FIR been filed in a state whose overzealous police book anyone walking around without a mask,” he told reporters.