Transgenders visible in campaigns, absent from poll rolls

Rangjuli: Bela and her friends were happy to dance at a rally and earn a few extra bucks in Goalpara district's Rangjuli area on Saturday. Her happiness, however, was short-lived as her role in the poll process ended with dancing for the candidate. Bela, a transgender, can't vote - a right ensured to all adult citizens of the nation.
Many others like her have been left out of the electoral rolls despite the Election Commission (EC)'s ruling that transgenders could enrol as voters.This will be Assam's first assembly election when transgender voters will exercise their right to franchise.
The number of voters in the 'other gender' category is only 27, far less than their actual number in the state. While five were to vote in the first phase, 22 will vote in the second. An election official said most transgender voters were believed to have enrolled either as male or female voters because of social pressure.
"There cannot be only 27 other-gender voters in Assam. My name doesn't appear on the electoral rolls and I'm sure thousands of names are missing. Unless the system promotes our community and helps us live in a dignified manner, most of us will not come forward to enrol on the voters' list," rued Bela.
Bela and her group beg on local trains. "I was forced to leave school after being ill-treated by fellow students and even teachers. I did not get any job because of social stigma. Do you think we enjoy begging on trains?" asked Rimjhim, another transgender.
Guwahati has been organizing 'pride march' for the past three years to spread awareness about the LGBT movement and to promote rights of third gender people. However, members of the community living outside the city remain isolated.
Sanjib Chakraborty, an LGBT rights activist, said, "We requested the social welfare department to map the LGBT population but we have not received any feedback so far. Elections come and go, the rights of the LGBT community are always ignored."
The poor representation of the transgender or 'other gender' community on the voters' list reflected the step-motherly attitude of the state government towards the community, he said. The activist added that unless the community is provided social benefits, their representation in the voting process will remain unsatisfactory.
"The next government in Assam should announce special policies for the community. Like Tamil Nadu, where the government provides free sex reassignment surgery and housing for transgenders, Assam should come up with welfare schemes for them," Chakraborty said.
Closer home, the Tripura government also announced financial allowance for transgenders last year. "No party has spoken a single word on the rights of the LGBT community in their manifestos," said another activist.