Sultana Ahmed Sagarika from the hijra community has expressed her desire to run for the position of councillor in the forthcoming Rajshahi City Corporation (RCC) elections.
On Tuesday afternoon, in the presence of local hijra leaders, Sagarika collected nomination papers to vie for a reserved women's councillor category.
Sagarika is running for office in zone 7, which consists of wards 19, 20 and 21 in the RCC.
After picking up the nomination papers, Sagarika said she wants to serve people by overcoming all the obstacles in society.
“I want to show that the third-gender community can also love and serve others just like everyone else. We, too, know how to serve the people. People now want a different kind of leadership,” she said.
She requested prayers and support from the ward residents, seeking their valuable votes in order to represent them and bring about positive changes in the community.
Reflecting on her past, Sagarika mentioned that she could not continue her studies beyond the ninth grade due to societal pressure and being ridiculed by her classmates.
She had to leave school and even her family at one point in her struggle for a better life.
"I have many bitter experiences," she said.
Sagarika stressed that third-gender individuals are not aliens; they belong to families, society and the country.
"We are here on Earth through our parents. But it is unfortunate that most people do not accept us as human beings. However, the government has recognized us, and because of that recognition and voter registration, I can participate in the election today. I am grateful to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina for this," she said.
"I am mainly working to create a platform from which I can speak for the rights of the general public and my community members," Sagarika added.
Sagarika believes that hijras have better communication skills and can work more effectively in some areas where women councillors may not be able to work, especially during late hours.
"I will stand by the people in times of crises," she said.
Sagarika acknowledged the challenges she is facing in the election. Her opponents are spreading rumours and arguing that if a hijra is elected, abuse will increase.
However, she remained optimistic and said: "The general public has learned to love us. Many representatives from our community are doing good work in various places. I also want to overcome all obstacles and work for the welfare of the people."
Sagarika hails from the Shah Makhdum area of Rajshahi and is the third of four siblings.
Her father has passed away and she currently lives with her mother and sister.
Although she only occasionally visits her family home, she bears the responsibility of supporting her mother financially.
Until Tuesday evening, a total of 16 people collected nomination papers for the reserved seats and 43 for the general councillor positions, confirmed Rajshahi Regional Election Officer and District Returning Officer Md Delwar Hossain.
“Candidates began collecting nomination papers on Sunday after the distribution began on Thursday. Some have already submitted their papers, while many others have not yet,” said Delwar Hossain.
However, no one has collected a nomination form for the mayoral post, he added.
“Candidates can collect nomination papers at any time, but they must adhere to the electoral code of conduct. No violation of the code will be tolerated under any circumstances,” he warned.
In the upcoming Rajshahi City Corporation election, there are 352,157 voters, including 30,157 new ones.
Among them, 171,185 are male voters and 180,972 are female voters.
Last year, the total number of voters was 322,000.
This time, electronic voting machines (EVMs) will be used to cast votes in 1,173 booths across an expected 152 centres.
The last day to submit nomination papers is May 23, and the allocation of symbols will take place on June 2.
