BSP fields transgender candidate for Odisha Assembly elections

ANI photo

BHUBANESWAR: The Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) fielded a transgender candidate from Odisha for upcoming Assembly elections.

Twenty-seven-year-old Kajal Nayak, a social activist, will contest from the Korei Assembly seat in Jajpur district

Odisha: Kajal Nayak, a 27-year-old transgender, would contest from the Korei Assembly seat in Jajpur district as the candidate of the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the upcoming state elections. pic.twitter.com/JxOl3AHbFh — ANI (@ANI) March 16, 2019

"I am happy that BSP has decided to give ticket to me to contest the poll. I approached many political parties earlier but no one entertained me, I am thankful to BSP for showing their faith in me and in the transgender community," said Nayak, who's also the president of Transgender Association of Jajpur.

“There are many issues in the region which need to be raised along with issues related to transgender community. I want to raise issues of transgenders along with the issues of the people of the region,” Kajal told nws agency ANI.

Odisha has 147 assembly constituencies that will go to polls in four phases starting April 11 and will be held along with the Lok Sabha elections.