Meet Chandramukhi, The First Transgender To Contest Assembly Election From Telangana

For Chandramukhi Muvvala contesting in the upcoming Assembly Elections is not about winning or losing, it is more about making a statement.

The 32-year-old who filed her nominations Monday is pitted against former minister and senior Congress leader Mukesh Goud and controversial BJP leader T Raja Singh in Goshamahal constituency.

Chandramukhi Muvvala/ Facebook

Chandramukhi is contesting on a CPM-led Bahujan Left Front or BLF after no other parties came forward to support her candidacy. "No party came forward to give a transgender a ticket to contest the polls. But, BLF gave me the ticket and I filed my nominations," Chandramukhi told PTI.

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Chandramukhi who was born male and underwent a sex change surgery 15 years ago has since made her mark as a TV artist and Bharatanatyam dancer.

Chandramukhi Muvvala/ Facebook

Over the years she has also been an active campaigner against the atrocities on her community.

Speaking about her decision to contest the election from Goshamahal, Chandramukhi said she chose the constituency because most of the residents there are from the Marvari community, which respects transgender.

"If elected, I will focus on the problem of child labour, which is prevalent in the constituency, and also ensure that housing scheme for the poor is properly implemented," she said.

Chandramukhi Muvvala/ Facebook

Even though no transgenders have managed to make it to the assembly or the parliament so far, in the past couple of years the number of those contesting elections from the community has seen a steady increase.

The community, which has been for long living on the fringes of the society has in the recent years managed to get wider acceptance in the mainstream in almost all walks of life.