Only 187 of 1,700 trans gender electors voted in Bihar Assembly polls, Election Commission data shows

With only 187 (excluding postal votes) of the total 1,701 (including service voters) registered electors having cast their vote in the recently held Bihar Assembly polls, the representation of third genders in the electoral process remains dismally low. The lone trans gender candidate contested the poll, only to lose deposit, Election Commission data revealed. Less than 200 trans genders voters participating in an election that concluded with a historic voter turnout of 67.13%in Bihar since1951, points to critical examination over measures to be taken for vibrant representation of trans gender individuals' needs and concerns in future. However, Index cards published on ECINet on 17 November 2025 highlight the highest everparticipation byfemale voterswitha polling percentage of 71.78 per cent in Bihar since 1951. It also stated that zero appeals were madeagainst the wrongful inclusion or exclusion of any electorafter Special Intensive Revision (SIR)in Bihar in any of the38 districtsfromany of the electorsorany of the 12 recognised political parties. It also highlighted that zero repolls took placein the Bihar Assembly Elections, 2025. Meanwhile, a paper in 2024 by Sayantika Sen and Vani Narula titled Transgender Inclusivity in Democracy: The Power of Transgender Advocacy, Civic Engagement and Political Participation in India states, despite efforts towards inclusivity, transgender individuals persistently encounter political marginalisation, exacerbated by heteronormative legal perspectives. It also highlighted that despite constitutional mandates advocating for equality, empirical evidence underscores a notable dearth of transgender representation in local self-government, resulting in diminished electoral participation. There were 2,616 candidates in fray and 243 won, while 2,107 lost their deposit.