Only two third-gender candidates contested assembly polls, none elected: EC

Fri, 08 May 2026

19:23

Third-gender candidates drew a blank in the recently concluded five assembly elections, with only two contesting, one each in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, according to Election Commission data.

The data made public on Friday revealed that both candidates had to forfeit their deposits.

A similar trend was seen in the 2021 Kerala and Tamil Nadu assembly elections.

In Kerala, only one third-gender candidate contested the 2021 assembly polls, but had to forfeit their deposit after failing to secure a win.

Tamil Nadu saw two third-gender candidates contesting the 2021 assembly elections, meeting the same fate.

Last month, assembly polls were held in Assam, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and West Bengal, the results of which were declared on May 4.

Among the contested states, West Bengal recorded a strong turnout among third-gender electors in the second phase of assembly polls, with 91.28 per cent of them exercising their franchise.

The state, with a total of 1,257 third-gender electors, saw 465 casting votes in Phase I and 792 in Phase II.

The turnout in Phase 1 stood at 56.79 percent, while it rose sharply to 91.28 percent in Phase II. -- PTI

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