LUCKNOW: As the state capital goes gung-ho over the forthcoming assembly elections, for Mohini Singh, the hullabaloo is just noise. A
transgender, who lives with three others like her near
Begum Hazrat Mahal
park, her many attempts to get a voter id card in the past four years have been stonewalled.
“I have given my documents to the booth-level officers who visited our house. But I never heard from anybody after that. When I tried to contact some government officials, they asked for money. If they don’t care, why should I?” she asked.
For the state’s 40,000 transgenders, the 2014 landmark judgment of
Supreme Court categorizing all transgenders and eunuchs as third gender, has had little effect on their struggle to become a part of the society. According to the Election Commission, of the 3,975 registered voters in the ‘others’ category, only 65 voted in the 2012 assembly elections. Before the verdict, they had to register either as ‘male’ or ‘female’.
While most transgenders do have voter id cards, the lack for respect from the society discourages many of them from exercising their franchise. Tamanna Kinnar, a transgender living in Sudamapur slum said: “The society has never accepted us. Whenever we go somewhere, they insult us and abuse us, so why should I vote?”
On the other hand, there are other transgenders who have dutifully exercised their right to vote, only to be disappointed by successive governments. In the past 20 years, Madan Kinnar (72) has made it a point to walk all the way from her house in Sadar to the nearest polling booth to cast her vote. An ardent Congress supporter, even if she has to go somewhere for ‘toli-badhai’, she makes sure to delay such appointments. “I do my duty but it is the politicians who forget us once they win. You will see them distributing blankets and liquor before the elections, but after they win, they don’t come back,” Madan said.
Transgender politicians are of the view that the government should take steps to include the third gender in the mainstream. Payal Singh, an Independent candidate who contested the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, said their community faces a lot of problems in getting documents made. “The government expects transgenders to file income tax returns and levies various taxes but doesn’t help them in getting documents like PAN card and Aadhaar card. Why do you expect them to abide by the rules followed by other citizens when you don’t even acknowledge their presence?” she asked.
This marginalisation of the third gender encouraged many of them to enter the political arena and ensure that their ilk get their due. Asha Devi was the first transgender mayor of
Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation
and Shabnam Mausi went on to be the first eunuch to become an MLA in the country.
Gulshan Bindoo
, who contested the 2012 election from Ayodhya constituency, said political parties need to be more open-minded about fielding transgender candidates. “When I approached political parties for a ticket, none of them agreed. In the end, I had to contest as an Independent candidate,” said Bindoo, who polled nearly 22,000 votes in the 2012 elections.
The data compiled by the EC shows that in 2012, only four transgender candidates contested the 2012 elections. All of them lost and had to forfeit their deposits.
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