Nomination of transpersons to contest from women’s wards accepted

Two transgender candidates person qualified to contention successful the upcoming section assemblage polls from divisions reserved for women, a archetypal successful the State.

The candidatures of Amaya Prasad and Arunima M. Kurup, fielded by the United Democratic Front (UDF) successful Thiruvananthapuram and Alappuzha respectively, were approved by the respective returning officers connected Saturday (November 22, 2025), frankincense paving the mode for them to contention the civic polls.

While Ms. Prasad volition contention from the Pothencode part of the Thiruvananthapuram territory panchayat, Ms. Kurup volition question fashionable mandate from the Vayalar part of the Alappuzha territory panchayat.

Ms. Prasad’s candidature had raised immoderate archetypal objections arsenic her sex was marked arsenic ‘transgender’ successful the elector’s photograph individuality paper issued by the Election Commission. Ms. Prasad, a antheral by birth, had aboriginal changed her sex to pistillate aft undergoing a enactment reassignment surgery. She had complained that her exertion to update her sex to pistillate was pending.

However, the returning serviceman accepted her contentions and approved her information connected the day.

“There were nary specified hassles for my candidature from the part reserved for women arsenic my sex was marked arsenic pistillate successful each applicable records,” said Ms. Kurup.

Incidentally, the State Election Commission had issued an advisory to the returning serviceman of Thiruvananthapuram territory connected Saturday, urging the authoritative to determine connected the lawsuit aft considering the provisions of the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act, 2019, which prescribed that transgender persons had the close to determine connected their gender. The Commission besides pointed retired that the sex of Ms. Amaya could beryllium considered arsenic ‘woman’ if the campaigner produced applicable documents, including the certificate of individuality issued by the District Magistrate, which identified her arsenic a woman.