E-Paper
68% transgenders voted in 2022 Himachal polls
Around 68% transgenders cast their vote in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections, which is double the number that participated in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the chief electoral officer said on Thursday
Around 68% transgenders cast their vote in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections, which is double the number that participated in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, the chief electoral officer said on Thursday.
As many as 26 out of 38 registered transgenders cast their vote in the assembly elections. Chief electoral officer Maneesh Garg said that there had been a marked increase in transgenders’ participation since the third gender was introduced as a separate category in the electoral rolls in 2017.
Fourteen transgenders were enrolled in the electoral list in 2017, of which only 2 (14%) cast their vote. Similarly, in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls, only 34% of the registered third-gender voters cast their vote.
“In the final publication of the 2022 electoral rolls on January 15, only 17 transgenders registered. It was due to the initiatives of the Election Commission of India and the state election department that the enrolment of transgenders increased to 38 as per the final publication of electoral rolls on October 10,” Grag said.
A transgender, Bijali Mahant, was made the ‘district icon’ of Bilaspur district in a bid to encourage more members of the community to vote.
During a recent visit to the state, chief election commissioner of India Rajiv Kumar had said that the election commission will take “stronger” initiatives for senior citizens, persons with disabilities and transgenders to ensure that they are included in the electoral process.
