Jharkhand Assembly Elections 2024: Graduate transgender Nagma Rani to take on BJP, Congress candidates in Hatia

Ranchi: Nagma Rani, a 35-year-old transgender, is set to contest the Hatia seat in the upcoming Jharkhand Assembly polls, facing off against BJP's Navin Jaiswal and Congress' Ajay Nath Shahdeo.

Moved by the struggles of the youth seeking education and employment, as well as the "dismal" condition of the poor, Rani made the decision to enter politics and filed her nomination papers as an Independent candidate on October 23.

Hatia is one of 43 assembly seats that is set to vote in the first phase on November 13. The nomination process for this phase concluded on Friday, with 30 candidates filing papers from the seat.

"We spend time on the streets and visit houses. It pains me to see young people from low-income backgrounds struggling for higher education and jobs. No significant work has been done to improve basic infrastructure or health services in the constituency. This motivated me to join politics and effect change," Rani said.

Originally from Bihar, Rani was raised in Ranchi by her mentor Sangeeta Nag Kinnar. "I have lived in Ranchi since childhood after my parents left me for being a third-gender," Rani told PTI.

She noted that in the past, parents in Bihar often did not keep third-gender children at home, but this attitude is shifting as acceptance increases.

A history graduate from Magadh University in Bihar, Rani aspired to join Bihar Police. "I submitted an application for a constable position, but it was rejected due to my age. At that time, there was no separate category for transgender candidates on the form," she explained.

"I loved studying, but social barriers prevented me from attending regular classes," Rani said and added that she completed her intermediate education through a distance learning programme.

Rani has been involved in social service for years, donating a significant portion of her income to help others.

"If I win, I will work not only for the development of the constituency but also to ensure that deserving students from Jharkhand do not have to leave the state for higher education," she added.

The Hatia constituency has an electorate of 4,46,372, including 23 third-gender voters.

Regarding her competition with candidates from the BJP and Congress, Rani remarked that the people of the constituency have witnessed the performance of both national parties over the years.

"I chose to contest against them after receiving overwhelming support and encouragement from the community. I am not contesting for my own sake but for the people of the constituency," she said.

Assembly Elections 2024 | The Maharashtra Assembly polls will take place against the backdrop of a fractured political landscape in the western state where the Shiv Sena and NCP will be going up against the Uddhav Thackeray and Sharad Pawar factions, even as the BJP and Congress try to make their mark. Meanwhile, in Jharkhand, the JMM faces a new challenge after Hemant Soren's recent arrest and Champai, a longstanding party member, joining the BJP. The Haryana election resulted in a shock loss for Congress, which was looking to galvanize on the Lok Sabha poll performance, while J&K also saw the grand old party eventually stepping away from the cabinet, with Omar Abdullah's JKNC forming government. It remains to be seen if the upcoming polls help BJP cement its position further or provide a fillip to I.N.D.I.A. Check live updates and track the latest coverage, live news, in-depth opinions, and analyses only on Deccan Herald.

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