Ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) of Punjab S Karuna Raju on Saturday accepted demand of self-declaration as a residential proof to become voter.
Under ‘Every eligible person should be voter Programme’, the CEO held a meeting with the delegation of Transgenders (third gender community) of the State. He urged the leaders to encourage people of their community to become voters and exercise their constitutional right in voting process and Election Commission will extend every kind of help in this.
Raju appealed to Mohini Mahant, leader of Mansa Foundation Welfare Society and the first Transgender Member of National Lok Adalat to motivate all the members of transgender society to become voter and cast vote.
Considering Mahant Mohini demand as valid that members of transgender society have no permanent address thus they have no proof of residence, so they can’t register themselves in the electoral rolls, the CEO said that certificate of the concerned Dera or Self-declaration form of the concerned person could be consider as proof.
“I will shortly write letter to all the Deputy Commissioners of the state so that every eligible member of the transgender community will become
voter in the Continuous Updation process for Special Summary Review of Electoral Rolls,” he added.
Meeting was also attended by Dhananjay Chauhan, General Secretary, Mangal Mukhi Transgender Welfare Society, Chandigarh.
