‘Governmental neglect & insensitivity of political parties behind low voter turnout of transgenders’

Wednesday, 01 May 2024 | PURNIMA BISHT | DEHRADUN

The persistent neglect by the governments over the years and the insensitive attitude of political parties towards the transgender community are among the main reasons for the low voter turnout of transgenders in the Lok Sabha elections 2024 in Uttarakhand. The poor representation of the transgender community in the State likely contributed to their lack of engagement in the democratic process on April 19 this year. This was opined by some transgenders and experts over the low voter turnout of transgenders despite their poor conditions in the State. According to the data of the Election Commission of India (ECI), 297 transgenders were enrolled to vote in the LS elections 2024 out of which only 87 individuals cast their votes. Out of these, 44 cast votes in the Haridwar LS seat, 19 in Nainital-Udham Singh Nagar, 14 in the Tehri seat, eight in the Garhwal seat and two in the Almora seat. Only 29.2 per cent transgenders voted in this election while 70.8 per cent chose not to exercise their franchise. Many opined that there is no significant change in the conditions of transgenders over the years. In the LS elections 2019, 259 transgenders were enrolled to vote out and after five years, only 38 new transgender voters were registered. This shows that there has been no significant increase in the number of transgender voters since the last elections. A transgender  named Nirmala stated that though she voted in the election, many of her friends did not because they believed that nothing would change for them. “I do not blame them for believing this because it is true. We either get pity or humiliation from the governments and political parties. Our issues are not even mentioned or addressed during elections. It is probably because we are not considered as a viable voting bank like men and women. However I believe that exercising our franchise is the only thing we can control and that is why some of us still vote though nothing is changing for us,” she said. On the question of why only a handful of people in the transgender community are enrolled to vote, Malti from the community said that it is because it is easier to lead a normal life as a man or woman rather than as a transgender. “Keeping aside the factors like shame and embarrassment a trans person has to face in society, almost all the government welfare schemes are only for men and women. It is hard to get decent jobs as a trans person. To be identified as a trans person is a continuous struggle so many prefer to live as a man or woman,” she said. When this correspondent asked the political leader and head of the transgender community in Dehradun Rajni Rawat about the low voter turnout of transgenders in the LS elections, she appeared unaware of it and said, “All transgenders had cast their vote in Dehradun and Rishikesh as far as I know. I do not know about transgenders of other districts.” Talking about the issue, the dean of the School of Social Sciences at Doon University Rajendra Mamgain said that the government needs to empower the trans community and make them aware of the welfare schemes that are specially run for them. “The trans people seek dignity and want to be treated normally like men and women. Many of them struggle on a daily basis and become complacent against the government when they feel nobody is working for their welfare. The government should be more sensitive towards their issues. Besides this, a strong representation of the community is also needed at the State level to strengthen and empower them” he said.