Chennai, March 27(BPNS)
M. Radha and Bharathi Kannamma are not only transgender but fighters in their own right and are contesting the polls to the Tamil Nadu assembly which is to be held on April 6.
Interestingly there are only 7246 of transgender enlisted in the voters list of Tamil Nadu even though 1 percent of the 6 crore population are transgender.
M. Radha is contesting from the Mylapore assembly constituency while Bhrathi Kannama is facing the people from Madurai South assembly constituency. Radha is contesting on the “Telephone” symbol while Bharathi Kannama is contesting on a “Pot” symbol.
While Radha had contested the 2019 loksabha elections and garnered 1042 votes and is expecting more than 10,000 votes from Mylapore assembly seat.
Radha is of the opinion that by contesting the elections people will understand that it is not only men and women who can contest polls but also transgenders.
M Radha while speaking to BPNS said, “ I am contesting as a candidate of the ordinary people not just transgender. In the 2019 loksabha elections, I could get 1042 votes, but in this election I am expecting 10,000 votes. As a people’s representative I will work for the downtrodden and marginalized people of the constituency and with special emphasis on Transgender.”
The transgender said “ I am a cook and want transgender community get jobs, so that they are not turning as sex workers or beggars.”Radha is pitted against T Velu of DMK, R Nagarajan of AIADMK and Actor turned politician Sripirya of MNM at Mylapore constituency.
Bharathi Kannama who had contested the loksabha polls in 2014 is contesting this elections from Madurai South assembly constituency.
She is contesting on the ticket of Puthiya Thalaimurai Makkal Katchi (PTMK) or New Generation People’s Party.
Kannama told media persons that she wanted to highlight the issues faced by the transgender community in society and that is the reason for her contesting the elections.
Kalki Subramnaiam, transgender activist ,artist and poet while speaking to BPNS said, “ Transgender activists contesting elections are now mere tokenism. However little this is good but no main stream political party has provided a seat to a transgender and community cannot do nothing else other than to fight independently as a token representation.”
