The nomination of a transgender activist, Bharathi Kannamma (56), was rejected during scrutiny by Returning Officer of Madurai East constituency G. Senthilkumari on Saturday.
Officials said that Ms. Kannamma had not produced the list of 10 proposers from the constituency as mandated by the procedures.
Ms. Kannamma, a resident of Madurai South constituency, had filed her nomination as a candidate of the Hindu Makkal Katchi (HMK) from Madurai East constituency.
“I had given the names of seven friends from Madurai South constituency and the remaining proposers from Madurai East,” she said.
She added that though people were willing to vote for transgenders, they did not want to openly express their support. “That is why I had difficulty in finding proposers from Madurai East,” she said. She made a plea that the Election Commission should consider relaxing this rule for transgender contestants in the future.
The nomination of Ms. Kannamma’s adopted daughter M. Anushuyasree (26), also a transgender, from Madurai South constituency was accepted.
Though Ms. Anushuyasree had also applied as a candidate of the HMK, her candidature was later altered as ‘Independent’ since the party failed to submit the required forms to show that she was HMK’s candidate.
The nomination of M. Gopi Shankar (25), reportedly the first openly intersex person to contest in election, was accepted by the RO of Madurai North constituency. Officials said that 91 of the 297 nominations filed across all the 10 constituencies in Madurai, which included dummy nominations filed by the same candidates, were rejected in the scrutiny process on Saturday.
The rejected nominations included the nomination filed by Naam Tamilar Katchi (NTK) candidate for Tiruparankundram constituency L. Mahathevan, whose nomination had only nine proposers.
Nominations filed by candidates of all major political parties were accepted after scrutiny.
