‘Third’ front of Democracy: Transgender candidates with their own identities, plunge in Lok Sabha elections

News Bharati    17-Apr-2019
Total Views |



New Delhi, Apr 17: India is full of diversities. These queer diversities are the always puzzled western rulers. But in the last 2 centuries, India shut her doors for all the diversities and tried to become homogenous like her British rulers. But this door was challenged by a case named National Legal Services Authority V/s Union of India. This case paved the path for ‘Equality to All” and opened the door to the transgender community.

This judgment is a major step towards gender equality in India. Moreover, the court also held that because transgender people were treated as socially and economically backward classes, they will be granted reservations in admissions to educational institutions and jobs.

Today, India is in her 17 Lok Sabha elections and in this elections at least 5 transgender candidates are fighting the elections. India has 2 million transgender people. And these 5 heroes are fighting for the welfare of this population.

The Transgender candidates who are contesting the elections-

Ashwini Rajappan- Ernakulam (independent)

Chirpi Bhawane- Prayagraj (AAP)

Kajal Kinnar- Korei (BSP)

Radha- South Chennai (Independent)

Sneha Kale- Mumbai (Independent)

In these elections, we can witness the presence of transgender candidates from Gujrat to Tamil Nadu and from Odisha to Uttar Pradesh. In these elections, the transgender voters are 41,292, which shows the rise of 45% from the 2014 elections.

The number of transgender voters – (consecutively)

Uttar Pradesh- 8,374 (highest)

Tamil Nadu- 5,790

Karnataka- 4,839

Rajasthan- 231 (8 fold increase)

Nagaland- 20

Tripura- 14

Mizoram- 6 (lowest)

Not just this, data from the EC showed that the turnout figures for transpeople stood at an abysmal 17.94%, as compared to an overall figure of 64.9%. 

The first stirring in politics made by Shabnam Mausi, who first stepped into Madhya Pradesh Assembly in March 2000 as a first transgender MLA in India. Madhu Bai Kinnar, a Dalit transwoman who becomes the mayor of Raigarh in Chattisgarh in 2015 and successfully completed her tenure.

Most importantly, in 2014 elections the 3 transgender candidates made headlines. Bharati Kanamma in Madurai fought strongly. Sonam Kinnar in Amethi fought against Rahul Gandhi and Kamala Hijra fought against Narendra Modi in Varanasi.

National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India is a landmark decision by the Supreme Court of India, which declared transgender people to be a 'third gender', affirmed that the fundamental rights granted under the Constitution of India will be equally applicable to transgender people, and gave them the right to self-identification of their gender as male, female or third-gender.

Gauri Sawant, a Mumbai-based activist who is an EC-appointed election ambassador, have confidence in that the low numbers underline the problems trans people face while registering to vote, with paperwork, hostile attitudes at the bureaucracy and with changing names and genders. Sawant is going from door to door to get people to vote and thinks the 2014 judgment gave people awareness and showed to the world a community fighting for their rights.

But Sawant cautions against the tendency of parties fielding transgender candidates in tough battles, where the chance of victory is dim.

“Patriarchy makes society think transgender people cannot do anything. Gender has nothing to do with ability. We are Indian citizens, voting is our right. That is the importance of elections for transgender people.” She says.