A 26-year-old in Kerala's Wayand became the first woman from the tribal community in the state to clear the All India civil services exams. Congress President Rahul Gandhi, who is contesting from the seat in the Lok Sabha elections, took to twitter this morning to congratulate Sreedhanya Suresh for clearing the exams.
"Sreedhanya's hard work and dedication have helped make her dream come true. I congratulate Sreedhanya and her family and wish her great success in her chosen career," he tweeted this morning.
Sreedhanya Suresh, 26, bagged the 410th rank in the Civil Services Examination, 2018. She is the daughter of daily wage labourers Suresh and Kamala, who belong to the Kurichiya tribe.
"Our happiness is sky high... We stretched to the maximum to ensure that she studies well. We ensured that nothing becomes a barrier for her studies and now her hard work has been rewarded," Sreedhanya's mother Kamala was quoted by news agency IANS.
Kerala chief minister Pinarayi Vijayan was among the first politicians to congratulate the 26-year-old.
"Sreedhanya fought the social backwardness and passed the civil services exam with flying colours. Her achievement will inspire other students in the future," he wrote in his Facebook post.
Former chief minister Oommen Chandy said she is an inspiration to future generations.
Sreedhanya Suresh is among the 29 Keralites who have cleared the exam.
R Sreelekshmi (rank 29), Ranjana Mary Varghese (rank 49) and Arjun Mohan (rank 66) are among the others who cleared the exams from the coastal state.
"I am from the most backward district in the state. There are no tribal IAS officers from here event though there is a considerably large tribal population. I hope this will be an inspiration and motivation to the future generations to overcome all hurdles," Sreedhanya told media.
Out of the 759 ranks declared today, 577 ranks were bagged by males and 182 by females.
Shortly after filing his nomination from Wayanad, Congress chief Rahul Gandhi had said he was "overwhelmed by the love and affection of the people of Wayanad."
Mr Gandhi is contesting from Wayanad in addition to the family bastion Amethi in Uttar Pradesh, which he has been holding since 2004.
Rahul Gandhi filed his nomination papers from Kerala's Wayanad on Thursday
Since the party announcement that he would contest a second seat, Mr Gandhi has been facing BJP taunts. Union minister Smriti Irani, who has challenged him from Amethi for a second time, has said he was "running away" as he was unsure of his prospects.
Mr Gandhi said he was requested to contest from a seat in south India and he accepted. The people in the south, he said, were feeling alienated due to the policies of the BJP-led government.
With inputs from agencies
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