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Strategies & Market Trends : India Coffee House -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: JPR who wrote (10812)	2/27/2000 1:09:00 PM
From: JPR	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 12475

Inclusive Democracy in India - Two Eunchus in elected office - one a Mayor and another a member in State Assembly---JPR "I will write personally to Shabnam Mausi and the mayor of the Katni Municipal Corporation Corporation for their handsome victory which has been possible because of strong civilizational and positiveness of the Indian people," Gill said, adding "Indian democracy really works." Election of a eunuch to state Assembly hailed India Abroad News Service New Delhi, Feb. 26 -- A eunuch's election to the Madhya Pradesh state Assembly is being portrayed as a slap in the face for politicians who have failed to deliver on their promises to voters. Shabnam Mausi was declared elected from the Sohagpur Assembly constituency in the Shehdol district of the state in a by-election held on Feb. 17. The founder of the only national organization that espouses the cause of the third gender, the All India Hijra Kalyan Sabha, said the election was a "slap in the face for politicians of the day, showing that eunuchs are better than them." "The overwhelming majority with which Mausi has won shows that the people have discarded politicians for not delivering and have turned to the so-called outcastes," Khairati Lal Bhola, an activist who campaigns for the rights of sex workers and eunuchs, told India Abroad News Service. "In the years to come, more and more oppressed people will be sent to Parliament (and state legislatures) as democracy matures and people's needs go unfulfilled," he added. Mausi, contesting as a non-party candidate, defeated her nearest rival Lallu Singh of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by a margin of over 17,000 votes. The seat had fallen vacant following the death of Congress Party leader Krishnapal Singh. The Congress Party had fielded his son Brajesh Singh, who finished third. Mausi's entry into the Assembly signals the arrival of yet another minority group in state politics. Interestingly, eunuchs in Madhya Pradesh already hold elected positions in civic bodies, such as municipal corporations. A few months ago, another eunuch, Kamala Jaan, was directly elected mayor of Katni town. Chief Election Commissioner M.S. Gill congratulated Mausi, saying her election "strengthens my belief and faith in Indian democracy." "I will write personally to Shabnam Mausi and the mayor of the Katni Municipal Corporation Corporation for their handsome victory which has been possible because of strong civilizational and positiveness of the Indian people," Gill said, adding "Indian democracy really works." He also lauded Mausi for setting "excellent priorities" for people's betterment, including removing unemployment. Bhola, whose organization moved the Supreme Court and got eunuchs the right to vote under the female category, said after 53 years of independence, Mahatma Gandhi's dream of uplifting the downtrodden seems to be on the verge of realization. Bhola says out of the 1.2 million eunuchs in India, almost 99 percent are castrated either willingly or by force. He said according to estimates, there are only 317 born eunuchs in the country. Bhola, who had founded a eunuch council in 1983, said when he realized that most of the eunuchs are castrated, he left the council and undertook a crusade to prevent more young boys from being castrated. He said, nevertheless, Mausi's election has kindled a ray of hope in a section confined to the dark alleys of society. indiaabroadonline.com