DEHRADUN: The appointment of Rajni Rawat, a transgender, as vice-chairperson of the Uttarakhand State Women’s Commission , seems to have whipped up a storm in the state with a number of politicians, especially those belonging to the opposition BJP, raising their heckles over the move. “We appreciate the fact that transgenders should be given an opportunity to be a part of the mainstream but to appoint one in a sensitive body like the Women’s Commission is not a good move. How can a transgender understand and empathise with the problems of women?” said Kamla Pant, state coordinator, Uttarakhand Mahila Manch .

Rawat incidentally is no stranger to controversy. She enjoys a considerable following among the transgenders in the state, and has contested the Dehradun mayoral polls twice, notching up more than 40,000 votes each time. She has switched political affiliations multiple times, having been a member of the Bahujan Samajan Party as well as forming her own outfit, the Bhartiya Jan Kranti party some years ago. In 2009, she joined the Congress. Her detractors say her appointment smells of a “political deal” rather than anything else. “We are very skeptical whether a transgender can fully understand what a woman goes through when she is victimized. This appointment doesn’t go hand-in-hand with women’s development. It seems to be politically motivated,” said Rajni Kukreti of the BJP Mahila Morcha .

Meanwhile, Sarojni Kaintura, the newly appointed chairperson of the Women’s Commission, said that too much was being read into Rawat’s appointment. “Transgenders are also human beings who have feelings and can empathise with the plight of others. Raising objection to Rawat’s appointment on these grounds is quite flimsy.”

Rajni Rawat: A chequered political career

Rajni Rawat first came to the limelight in 2008 when she contested the Dehradun mayor elections as an independent candidate. She was placed second, routing the Congress candidate who came third.

A resident of Pauri Garhwal, Rajni has had a chequered political career since. In 2009, she floated her own party, the Bhartiya Jan Kranti Party, and announced that she would contest elections from Tehri Garhwal but later withdrew. It is believed that she was convinced not to contest by former chief minister, Vijay Bahuguna who won the seat. In 2012, she again contested the MLA elections from the Raipur constituency as an independent candidate but lost. Her fascination for the mayor’s post again led her to contest the mayoral polls in 2013, this time on a Bahujan Samaj Party ticket. She was placed second again, beating the Congress candidate and securing over 44,000 votes just like in 2008

