As the Lok Sabha election dates draw closer, the government is making relentless efforts in raising awareness about the 'Right to Vote'. As a part of which, the state chief electoral officer has appointed Gauri Sawant, a transgender, as an election ambassador.
Sawant is one of the 12 “state icons” ahead of the general elections, who will be in charge of creating awareness among voters and increasing the voting percentage.
She stated that she was honoured to be the one and only transgender election ambassador across the country. She added that a large section of women are ignorant about their voting rights.
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So far, there are a total of 2,086 registered transgender voters in Maharashtra. However, there has been a remarkable growth in the figure as compared to 918 in 2014.
For instance, not even one person was registered as a transgender in the state until 2012. Meanwhile, the state’s total voting percentage in 2014 was 60.3 per cent, up from 50.7 per cent during the 2009 elections.
Along with Sawant, other names on the list are nuclear physicist Anil Kakodkar, sportswomen Smriti Mandhana, Virdhawal Khade, Rahi Sarnobat, and Lalit Babar, along with literary activist Madhu Mangesh Karnik. The list also consists of television and film artists such as Mrinal Kulkarni, Prashant Damle, Nishigandha Wad, and Usha Jadhav. A disability rights activist Nilesh Singit, has also been appointed as a progressive gesture.
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