RANGPUR, Bangladesh, Jan 6 ― A transgender candidate in Bangladesh’s one-sided election has instructed eNM she is hopeful of an upset victory that will make her a uncommon opposition voice in parliament after polls shut tomorrow.
Anwara Islam Rani, 31, has drawn lots of of individuals to her rallies since campaigning started final month and believes she has the backing to conquer a former authorities minister.
“I’ve bought unbelievably optimistic responses from the voters,” she instructed eNM late yesterday.
“A win is feasible if the vote is free and truthful and folks can solid their poll in a peaceable ambiance.”
But dozens of opposition events have boycotted tomorrow’s election, saying will probably be neither free nor truthful, with a repeat of the widespread irregularities of earlier polls received by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The ruling Awami League has not fielded candidates in Rani’s constituency and a small variety of different seats, an obvious effort to keep away from the following parliament being branded a one-party establishment.
Instead Rani is operating as an impartial in opposition to G.M. Quader, a former aviation minister beneath Hasina and the chief of a celebration with longstanding ties to the present authorities.
Rani, who has labored as an activist and organiser for transgender rights campaigns, mentioned a small however devoted group of supporters had helped her stage rallies and doorknock voters forward of the ballot.
Despite being born right into a extremely conservative household in the majority-Muslim nation, she mentioned her relations supported her marketing campaign, which focuses on higher healthcare and employment alternatives.
She added that she had discovered deep assist in her constituency, in the northern metropolis of Rangpur, regardless of a “smear marketing campaign” that started as her run for the seat gained momentum.
“My opponent tried to sway public opinion by claiming that electing a transgender MP would injury Rangpur’s fame nationally and internationally,” she mentioned.
In this {photograph} taken on January 4, 2024, transgender candidate Anwara Islam Rani waves to supporters as she parades alongside a avenue throughout a marketing campaign occasion in Rangpur, forward of Bangladesh’s basic election on January 7. ― eNM pic
‘Fight in the direction of an inclusive society’
Transgender girls, generally known as “hijra” throughout the Asian subcontinent, have been the beneficiaries of rising authorized recognition in Bangladesh over the previous decade the place they’re formally recognised as a 3rd gender.
Members of the group proceed to wrestle for fundamental rights and acceptance, missing property and marriage rights, and infrequently dealing with discrimination in employment.
Several have entered Bangladeshi politics, with one transgender lady in a rural city changing into the primary member of the group to be elected mayor in the nation in 2021.
Rani mentioned that her marketing campaign hoped to be “opening doorways for future generations”, whether or not or not she received.
“Anwara’s braveness offers us hope,” Latifur Rahman, a voter in Rani’s constituency, instructed eNM.
“She isn’t just a candidate for us, she is a logo of the combat for dignity and equality and in addition for the combat in the direction of an inclusive society.” ― eNM
