According to Priya Patil, barely 20 transgenders reside in the area. Patil, a resident of ward 163 couldn't file for nomination in her ward as the seat is reserved for OBC category. candidates.
'Ek chai do khaari, Priya Patil sabse bhari', chant a crowd of transgenders from all over the city, who gather at Bail Bazar's Lal Killa in Kurla to show their support for the first-ever transgender independent candidate.
The slogan for Patil's campaign is the community's creative way of grabbing the attention of residents in ward 166.
The ward includes six local areas namely Bali Bazar, Kranti Nagar, Sandesh Nagar, Shivaji Nagar, Wadia Estate and Kurla bus depot.
According to Patil, barely 20 transgenders reside in the area. Patil, a resident of ward 163 couldn't file for nomination in her ward as the seat is reserved for OBC category. candidates.
"Rather than waiting for another five years, I thought of contesting from the nearby ward (166). It does not matter which ward I am contesting from; my aim is to serve society and not just the transgender community." says
Patil.
While many in the transgender community join her, few locals in from her area also attend the campaign to show their support.
Speaking about the campaign, Patil says, "This ward has a history of electing new candidates every year. This year, I hope the residents support me. From this ward, I am sure I will get around 20 votes because all those voting for me belong to my community. Apart from these, the rest of the votes I get will be the votes I earn by winning the residents' heart."
The sitting corporator, Manali Tulaskar, from Shiv Sena, will be contesting against Patil. During the campaign, all the parties take up various ways to showcase their candidate. While the Shiv Sena and Congress are conducting door-to-door campaigns as well as on vehicles, MNS has come up with a dummy train attached to a four-wheeler to draw attention to their party symbol.
With just few days left for the election, Patil will engage in chowk prachar on Saturday rather than door-to-door campaigning.
"The gender of the candidate does not matter. The various issues of the area face should be taken up by the corporator and resolved. People should vote for a good candidate rather than looking at which party the candidate belongs to," says 59-year-old resident, Ishfaq Ahmed.
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