Bengal polls: Riya Sarkar becomes first transgender presiding official in India: Report

Kolkata, April 30: Twenty-nine-year-old Riya Sarkar on Saturday (April 30) became the first transgender person in India to preside over a polling booth in the ongoing Assembly election in West Bengal, reports The Indian Express.

Sarkar, who was quite nervous with her assignment in an international school in Rashbehari constituency in South Kolkata, hoped everything goes fine during the day, the article added.

A school teacher by profession, Sarkar said it was an opportunity for her to "assert" herself for she has faced ridicule from people all her life, the report added. [Transgender to take on Mamata this time]

Smita Pandey, the district electoral officer of South Kolkata had requested Sarkar for the job as she thought people like her would serve he community by doing this, the IE report said.

Twenty-four transgenders have been picked as polling officials in this election and Sarkar is the only govenment employee. A total of 758 third-gender voters are exercising their franchise in this election in the state which has 6.5 crore voters, the report said.

Oneindia News