Karnataka Election 2023: Meet T Ramakka, The Sole Transgender Candidate Fighting Assembly Election

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They are our parents, friends, siblings, kids, neighbours, and coworkers, in short, they come from all walks of life. However, simply because of their gender identity, they go through systematic stigma, inequality and severe discrimination and still live at the fringes of society. This is what most trans people go through almost every day in their lives, well, most of them.

They face the misconceptions that colour other people's impressions of them. But, not everyone gives up home, some of them get up, shake off the problems and stand strong to fight for what is rightfully theirs. Talking about politics, gender is the least remarkable thing about a candidate, yet the scenario is quite different in India when it comes to trans people.

Even though the law in India already prohibits discrimination against transgender persons and there is no proposal to introduce reservations in jobs and education for trans people.

In a first, a transgender candidate is contesting in the Karnataka election to represent the people of Kampli assembly constituency.
56- year old T Ramakka is the only transgender woman candidate in this year's Karnataka Assembly elections 2023. She has filed her nomination from the Kampli assembly constituency as a Desh Prem Party candidate and she will face Bharatiya Janata Party's TH Suresh Babu and Congress' JN Ganesh who is the sitting MLA from the seat.

Out of 2500 candidates, 2429 are male candidates and 185 are female candidates and Ramakka is the only transgender candidate in this Karnataka election.

While talking to the media, Ramakka, said that participation in politics and filing the nomination stemmed from the thought of making a difference in the lives of transgenders and helping people with physical and mental disabilities.

She mentioned like other transgenders, how she had too spent her whole life begging and didn't receive any government support for their community because there was just a handful of them in the state. She believes that it is through politics that one can bring change in the life of people like herself and others.

Who Is T Ramakka? Her Early Life And Political Career
Ramakka was born into a poor family in a village in the Bellary district and transitioned when she was 14 years old. Ever since she has been performing the Jogati folk dance while also begging. She claims that the two national parties announced several schemes for their caste and religious communities, but no help was provided to the transgender community of the state.

Early Life
Born in a poor family in a village in the Ballari district, Ramakka turned into a girl at the age of 14 and started serving Huligemma, a local deity, in the temple of Munirabad town in the Koppal district. It was only then that she changed her name and identity from Ramaswamy to Ramakka. She spent her whole life begging and performing Jogti dance, which is a folk dance form. Her life has been always surrounded by struggle and discrimination.

Political Career
Ramakka came into politics to improve the condition of transgenders in society. She has got a ticket from the newly formed Deshprem Party. However, she was pitted a lot by the opposition candidates but she said, she got a lot of love from people in her constituency.

In an interview with TOI, Ramakka mentioned that there are no specific schemes for trangenders that are targeted for their welfare. Due to this, the already suppressed community is facing further issues and has to resort to begging to earn their livelihood. She strongly believes that it is only by empowering them, they can be brought to the mainstream. 'I am the only transgender person in the entire state to contest the assembly election. I have been receiving support from my community," she said.

Further, Ramakka added that she not only wants to fight for the cause of transgender people but also for the poor and the farmers in her constituency. The Election Commission of India (ECI) has allotted her a "truck" as the symbol. She aims to provide sound social policies and a means of social security to these communities.