West Bengal Sees High Turnout Among Third Gender Electors in Assembly Polls

West Bengal recorded a strong turnout among third gender electors in the second phase of the Assembly polls, with 91.28 per cent of them exercising their franchise, according to data from the Election Commission. A total of 1,257 third gender electors participated in the two-phase elections in the state—465 in the first phase and 792 in the second. While the turnout stood at 56.79 per cent in phase I, it rose sharply to 91.28 per cent in phase II. Among other states, Puducherry recorded the highest overall turnout of third gender electors at 91.81 per cent in the recently concluded Assembly polls. The Union Territory has 139 third gender electors, of whom 91.81 per cent cast their votes, the poll body said. Tamil Nadu reported 7,728 third gender electors, with a turnout of 60.49 per cent in the April 23 polling. Assam, which has 343 third gender electors, recorded a turnout of 36.84 per cent, while Kerala, with 277 such electors, saw 57.04 per cent voting. Polling in Tamil Nadu was held on April 23, while Kerala, Assam and Puducherry went to polls on April 9. West Bengal voted in two phases on April 23 and April 29. Counting of votes for all the Assembly elections will take place on May 4. The Election Commission data also showed a steady rise in enrolment of third gender electors over the years. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 48,194 people were registered as third gender voters, compared to 39,075 in 2019, marking an increase of 23.5 per cent. However, only 27 per cent of them exercised their franchise in 2024. The poll body classifies voters under three categories—Male, Female and Others (third gender)—following reforms pushed earlier by former chief election commissioner Navin Chawla to improve inclusion in the electoral process. (With PTI inputs)