Namakkal:Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam's (DMK) trans candidate Thirunagai Riya featured in the headlines as he emerged victorious in the recently concluded Tamil Nadu local body polls. The 30-year-old won the hotly contested elections for the seat of union councillor in Namakkal district with a margin of 950 votes.
She acknowledged that it is a big leap for the transgender community in the state as it will improve representation and fight social stigma. Notably, DMK MP Kanimozhi tweeted in support of the candidate.
"DMK candidate Thirunagai Riya has won the 2nd ward union councillor of Namakkal district Tiruchengode. My best wishes to him. Transgender people must continue to have such social recognition," she tweeted.
The process of counting of votes polled in the two-phased rural local bodies held on December 27 and 30 in Tamil Nadu began on Thursday morning. As per the trends, the DMK has surged ahead, as it leads in seats for Panchayat Union Ward member and district panchayath ward members.
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The elections for the rural local bodies were held in two phases in 27 districts, barring the nine newly carved ones in line with the apex court's order. The ballot papers in four different colours were used in the poll instead of the electronic voting machines (EVM).
According to the Tamil Nadu State Election Commission (TNSEC) the first phase saw polling of 76.19 per cent, and the second phase saw 77.73 per cent. Over 2.31 lakh contested the polls for 91,975 posts. The posts include: Gram Panchayat Ward member, Gram Panchayat President, Panchayat Union ward member and District Panchayat Union Ward member posts.
