India’s ‘first Kinnar sarpanch’ now in Lok Sabha fray from Madhya Pradesh

Durga Bai Majhwar who claims to be India’s first sarpanch (village head) from the transgender or Kinnar community, is now in the fray as an Independent Lok Sabha candidate from M.P.’s Damoh constituency

The rituals of Navmi, the last day of the nine-day Hindu festival of Navratri, have just gotten over at her home in Kanhwara village in Madhya Pradesh’s Katni district, and Durga Bai Majhwar — better known as Durga Mausi — is dressed up as the goddess she is named after, ready for a performance at the famous Maa Sharda Temple in neighbouring Maihar. 

She has taken a day off from the month-long campaign, criss-crossing her constituency on her trusty Scooty.

Ms. Majhwar, 36, who claims to be India’s first sarpanch (village head) from the transgender or Kinnar community, is now in the fray as an Independent Lok Sabha candidate from M.P.’s Damoh constituency. She will face off against the BJP’s Rahul Lodhi and the Congress’ Sarwar Singh Lodhi, already having converted the fierce Lodhi vs Lodhi duel into a triangular contest. 

Elected sarpanch of her village in 2014, she says that the people had convinced her to contest the poll as they “were tired of many problems in the village”. She remained sarpanch for more than seven years as her tenure was extended due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Later, she also contested for a seat in the Katni zilla panchayat and currently serves as one of the members of the district council

Ms. Majhwar is also a sage, seated as the mahamandaleshwar of a Kinnar Akhara.

She is not the first person from the transgender community in M.P. to have achieved electoral success, as the State also gave India its first Kinnar MLA when Shabnam Mausi won from the Sohagpur seat of Shahdol district in a byelection in 2000, defeating candidates from both the BJP and the Congress. 

Less than a year earlier, in 1999, Kamla Jaan alias Kamla Mausi had won the mayoral election in Katni city. However, she had to step down from her post in 2002 after a local court said she was not “eligible” to be the mayor. The court had termed Ms. Jaan’s election “illegal” as the seat was reserved for women, and she was registered as male in the electoral rolls at the time.