India News | Delhi's Third Gender Candidates Celebrate Participation Despite Low Vote Count in LS Polls
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. Two third gender candidates, who contested the Lok Sabha elections from two constituencies in Delhi, said on Wednesday that though they collectively garnered less than a thousand votes, they are happy to have participated in the polls.
New Delhi, Jun 5 (PTI) Two third gender candidates, who contested the Lok Sabha elections from two constituencies in Delhi, said on Wednesday that though they collectively garnered less than a thousand votes, they are happy to have participated in the polls.
Rajan Singh (26), who identifies as a transwoman, was the national capital's first transgender candidate. She contested from the South Delhi constituency and received 325 votes, according to the Election Commission data.
Narela-resident Pooja (29), who was in the fray from North-West Delhi, got 509 votes.
"The Lok Sabha election was an experience for me as I participated for the first time, and my area residents did support me. I got enough votes to motivate me to continue my fight here," Pooja said.
"We will be elected in the near future. If not as an MP then as an MLA," she said in Hindi.
Singh also expressed gratitude for getting an opportunity to voice their rights.
"I knew from the beginning that I wouldn't win. Rather than being sad about the fact that I got 325 votes, I'm happy that for the first time the third gender has participated in the Lok Sabha elections from the capital. I filed our nomination, participated and raised our issues. This is how anyone starts their journey, and it's just the beginning," she said.
Singh and Pooja collectively received 834 votes in the elections. "Knowing the result beforehand, we still wanted to participate in the fight," they said.
Emphasising on the importance of participation, Singh said she will continue to prepare for future elections and intends to remain active in the political arena indefinitely.
Singh's campaign slogan, 'Sauchalay se, Sansad tak' (from toilet to the Parliament), resonates with the community's aspirations for greater representation and visibility.
When asked about future plans, she said her immediate need is to find a job. "I will be searching for a job and working soon again to support myself, as I had to leave my job due to the election," Singh said.
Singh contested against candidates like the BJP's Ramvir Singh Bidhuri and the Aam Aadmi Party's Sahi Ram.
The number of third gender voters in Delhi nearly doubled from 669 in 2019 to 1,228 in 2024, according to the EC data.
The South Delhi constituency, which now has the highest number of third gender voters at 336 (up from 130 in 2019), has shown a significant increase in support for third gender candidates. It was 130 in 2019, according to the data.
Pooja, who performs religious rituals by profession, said, "I was attacked the day after the polling, and still, I didn't get any support from the police. As a candidate, if I am not protected, then think about a normal transgender person. People say that we are accepted in society, but it's just on paper. People make us feel ashamed, as if being a third gender person is a crime. I wanted to join politics so I can do something for our community."
The BJP's poll debutant Yogendra Chandoliya trounced the Congress' Udit Raj by 2.9 lakh votes in the North-West Delhi seat to record the highest margin of victory among all the winning candidates in the national capital in the Lok Sabha elections.
In the capital, the total number of electors was 15,201,936, with 8,212,794 male voters, 6,987,914 female voters, and 1,228 third gender voters.
The BJP, which won all seven seats in Delhi in the 2014 and 2019 general elections, completed its third consecutive sweep in the national capital.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)