As per the Chief Electoral Officer Maneesh Garg, nomination of Bijali Mahant, a transgender as the brand ambassador of elections led to the encouraging response from the community.
Amidst focus on an all-time high poll percentage of 75.6 per cent in Himachal Pradesh, there is yet another surprise element of the elections in the hill state. The third gender community has marked a significant participation in voting, according to the data released by the State’s Chief Electoral officer Maneesh Garg.
Out of total 38 third gender voters, 26 went to the polling booths to cast their votes on November 12 in Himachal Pradesh. This amounts to a 68% polling of the votes, exactly double than their participation in 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
Garg says, “Bijali Mahant, a transgender was our brand ambassador and a 'district icon' of Bilaspur. This was a significant step taken by the Election Commission of India to increase their participation in the elections.”
Even before the election process ensued, the ECI had passed the orders to attract the transgender community to seek both their participation in voting procedure and in awareness campaigns.
As compared to 2017 state assembly elections, the November 12 poll registered very encouraging response in terms of the voter turnout of the transgender community.
In 2017, trans people were included as a separate category of third gender in electoral rolls. The total count of third gender in 2017 was 14 out of which only two i.e. 14% exercised their franchise. Similarly in Lok Sabha elections 2019, only 34 % of the registered third gender voters cast their vote.
The CEO said “the registration of transgender in electoral rolls was as low as 17 until the publication on January 15, 2022. Subsequently, after repeated visits to their places by the electoral teams, the enrolment of transgender community became 37, more than double as per the final publication of the electoral rolls on October 10, 2022.
The count went up further by another addition taking the tally of third gender voters to 38 as of now.
The Election Commission of India proposes to move a step ahead to ensure a higher participation of the senior citizens, PWD voters and transgender persons as a collective step to take the things of the next level, Garg told Outlook.
Last month, the Election Commission had felicitated the members of transgender community at model polling station at Dharampur. It increased their visibility and also encouraged them to come out to cast their votes.
“Efforts were made to make them understand that being recognised as the third gender, opens avenues for them to participate in the electoral democratic process without any social taboo or fear,” Garg explains.