Anowara Islam Rani becomes first transgender person to contest an election in Bangladesh

PTI, Jan 7, 2024, 8:58 AM IST

Dhaka: Anowara Islam Rani, a young transgender from Bangladesh’s northern region has emerged as the first candidate of her gender to enter electoral politics, a symbol of resilience and change in the country, according to a media report on Saturday.

The participation of Rani, who is running for office from the Rangpur-3 constituency in the country’s northern region, is being seen as a strong stride towards inclusivity, the BNN Breaking, an independent news network, said.

“Anowara Islam Rani, a symbol of resilience and change, is making her mark as the first transgender candidate to run for office,” said the report.

With a total of 849 registered transgender voters, the candidacy of Rani in the Rangpur-3 constituency is an embodiment of the country’s evolving political landscape.

Bangladesh goes to its 12th general election on Sunday.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country’s main opposition party led by former prime minister Khalida Zia is boycotting the polls amid violence and has begun a 48-hour nationwide strike against the ‘illegal government’.

The BNP is demanding an interim non-party neutral government to hold the election.

The demand was, however, rejected by the government headed by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also the chairman of the ruling Awami League.

Over 800,000 law enforcement personnel, including Army troops, were deployed to maintain peace and order while his office simultaneously engaged some 3,000 executive and judicial magistrates to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.

More than 119 million people are registered as voters but voters appeared to be disinterested in exercising the franchise due to lack of competitiveness.