Kinnar Akhada’s Mahamandaleshwar Maa Bhawani Nath Valmiki has joined the Aam Admi Party ahead of the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Bhawani met AAP leader Sanjay Singh and took the membership of the party. The official Twitter handle of AAP shared the news of Bhawani joining the party, calling for making India a nation where their candidate Bhawani is not an exception but a norm.

Every voice matters! Transgender Chirpi Bhawani will be our candidate for the upcoming loksabha elections from Prayagraj. Lets make an India where this isn’t an exception but a daily norm. #LoksabhaElections2019 pic.twitter.com/gxdf1Bt6lr — AAP (@AamAadmiParty) March 29, 2019

AAP has declared Bhawani a Lok Sabha candidate from Prayagraj. She was earlier a member of Congress Party which she joined on July 10, 2004. Bhawani had embraced Islam in 2010 and had even gone on Hajj in 2011. She later converted back to Hinduism and established the Kinnar Akhara in 2015 along with Laxmi Narayan Tripathi.

The Kinnar Akhada made history this year when they took part in the shahi snan during the Kumbh at Prayag. The Akhada was trying to get recognised a separate Akhada but the Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad was refusing to recognise it as the 14th Akhada of the country. But this year, the powerful Juna Akhada took the Kinnar Akhada under its wing, which allowed them to participate in the holy event during the Kumbh.

Bhawani has been a vocal supporter of Transgender Bill. She had also voiced her support for cow protection by participating in the Gauputra Sena Sanrakshak mission to get the Emergency Cow Protection Act implemented.

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“The section of the society which was ignored by all the parties, we are with them. I had also participated in their programme. This government had introduced a Bill in which transgender people were put in the category of beggars. Now will win the fight in Allahabad,” said Sanjay Singh. After joining the party Bhawani said that she is not here to defeat anyone. “I have not come here to defeat anyone. I am here to win. Our issues are unemployment, demonetisation and all the promises that were made by the government,” said Bhawani.