In a recent turn of events, a member of the transgender community purchased the nomination form for the Rajya Sabha election today from the Odisha Assembly secretariat to contest the polls to the upper house of parliament. Meghna Sahoo wants a seat in Rajya Sabha and like all other candidates, she too is seeking the endorsement of other political leaders in order to help her win.
However, what sets Meghna apart is that she herself is a woman belonging to the transgender community and she aims to use the political platform to advocate for transgender rights and improve the community’s situation in the society.
Accompanied by a few transgender women, 30-year-old Meghna went on a procession to purchase the nomination papers. An MBA by qualification, Meghna became the first person to purchase the nomination form! She is also confident of getting support from BJP, Congress, and BJD.“I will seek
“I will seek the support of all parties including the ruling BJD. Today, I met some leaders of BJP and Congress. Tomorrow, I will try to meet Chief Minister,” Meghna told to Mint.
A vacant Rajya Sabha seat is now in contention from Odisha, after Bishnu Charan Das resigned from the Upper House earlier this March. However, Meghna has tough competition to win the election, as the state Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has already endorsed PK Deb, a member of his party, for the seat. But Meghna is determined to fight and win the elections as she really wants to make a difference for the transgender community.
Meghna Sahoo made history last Republic Day when she married Basudeb Nayak, a 32-year old previously married man and a father of a four-year-old son. Though she lost her job as a marketing manager at Lal’s Path Lab, a leading pathological laboratory in the country, after she started dressing up like a woman and underwent a sex change operation, Meghna is not at all bitter about her rejections. She rather talks fondly about everybody who supported her and her fellow transgenders and now wants to join politics for their sake.While the BJD has 117 MLAs in the House of 147 members, opposition Congress has 16 MLAs and the number of BJP lawmakers is just 10.
While the BJD has 117 MLAs in the House of 147 members, opposition Congress has 16 MLAs and the number of BJP lawmakers is just 10. This election will be held in May 2017.
