Only 5.8% of transgender voters in state got inked

Bengaluru: The transgender community recorded an abysmally low voter turnout in the recent assembly elections. Just 5.82% of the registered voters exercised their franchise, according to data from the chief electoral officer’s (CEO) website.

According to community members, it could be attributed to their disinterest in politics, as no government has bothered to uplift them.

Only 294 of the state’s 5,050 transgender voters cast their vote, including 33 of 104 in C V Raman Nagar (31.73%), 25 of 39 in Hebbal (64.1%) and 13 of 72 (18.06%) in Nelamangala. In Mangaluru City South, where the transgender population is said to be considerably high, the figure was 32 out of 56 (57.14%). In Byatarayanapura constituency, which has 104 registered voters from the community, not even a single member turned up at polling booths, show Election Commission of India (ECI) data.

Manohar Elavarthy, founder of Sangama, an NGO working for the welfare of transgender persons, said all political parties and governments have failed to implement the NALSA (National Legal Services Authority v/s Union government) judgment of 2014, which upheld the fundamental and civil rights of transgenders. “There is a sense of disappointment and anger against the government which has ignored the community. I’m not sure if any politician has gone to the doors of transgenders and sought their votes. Nothing has changed in their lives even after the landmark verdict. Naturally, they are apathetic.”

Voter card a valid ID proof

An activist working with the community said they need the Electoral Photo ID Card (EPIC) as it’s a valid ID proof and what they lack is identity. Nevertheless, whether to vote or not is their choice. “With the government mandating authentic ID cards for availing any scheme, members of the community must have Aadhaar card and and voter ID. That’s why many of them sign up for EPICs. But for many reasons, they may have abstained from voting,” the activist said.

‘Data reflect selective reality’

According to Mallappa Kumbara, convener, Karnataka Sexual Minorities Forum, the statistics don’t reflect the reality. “We closely worked with BBMP and local self-governments in other districts to get sexual minorities enrolled and thousands of names were added to the voters’ list. A majority of transgenders have registered as women or men and very few have called themselves the ‘third gender’. As per our knowledge, the state has over 25,000 transgenders and nearly 10,000 have voted. But the Election Commission will not be able to segregate the data of transgender persons who have registered as men or women,” he said.

According to Mallappa, the WhatsApp groups of transgender persons were flooded with pictures of community members posing with their inked fingers.