Delhi Votes Today: Homeless, transgenders, and migrants face struggles for ID, democracy | Delhi News


Delhi votes today: Homeless, transgenders, and migrants face struggles for ID, democracy
Rinki lost her voter ID in Dabri two years ago, leaving her struggling for identity, a challenge many transwomen face. Meanwhile, Jerry (26), who fled an abusive home in Assam, now votes in Narela, thanks to her “didi” who helped her get a voter ID

NEW DELHI: At the bustling traffic intersections of Delhi, amidst the chaos of honking vehicles and pollutant-laden air, are transgender women in colourful attire, homeless individuals wrapped in frayed blankets, children selling trinkets and beggars tapping on car windows.
Despite being permanent fixtures in the capital’s landscape, they exist in a political limbo. In fact, many of them survive without the mandatory paraphernalia of the democratic process — identity and residence documents.
Also Read: Delhi Assembly Election 2025 Live
The traffic junctions represent opportunities for a large number of people to put food on the table for the night. Dilip Kumar Rana, 60, holding a few pens in his gnarled hands, said, “I used to drive a thela, but now I sell pens because I’m too old to push the cart around. Each pen I sell means a little cash in hand.” He said he would cast his vote in Narela.
“Ham apni marzi se thodi bheekh maangte hai (Do we beg because we want to?)” said Shanti, 40, at a traffic crossing near Shivaji College in the Madipur assembly constituency. “But it’s the only way I have been able to feed my family for years.” She at least has a vote. “I see the city’s true face and I will be voting for a change. My ancestors had this street as their home address and I’ll fight for its future,” the feisty woman said.
Her 18-year-old daughter Rekha interjected, “Par aakhir kya fayda (What’s the use anyway)? I hear politicians promising free electricity and water, but are they of use to people like us who don’t even have a roof over their heads?”
At Paschim Puri Chowk, a 60-year-old homeless man shrugged, “We’re invisible to those in power. I’ve lost count of the rallies that have passed by, but no one has ever bothered to stop and understand our problems. Yes, I will still vote though in the hope that someday, someone will stop and truly see us.”
The transgender community has always struggled for basic identity documents, without which voter registration isn’t possible. “My parents never understood me or supported my identity. I always knew I was a woman,” said Jerry, 26, a transgender woman who begs near the Minto Road traffic lights. “I escaped from Assam to be myself and to earn a living. I’d rather beg on the streets than be where I’m not accepted. Someone in Alipur, where I live, helped me and other transgender people to register as voters.” As for his vote, Jerry hinted that he would vote for AAP, which he said, “supports us, gives us food and blankets in the winter and its workers are always there to help us”.
For those tapping on car windows, whether they are homeless people, transgender women, beggars or those selling knick-knacks, life isn’t easy. Their lack of documents is compounded by their lack of education and knowledge about the voter registration process. Rinki, a transgender woman in Dabri, shared how the theft of her trans ID card, voter ID card and other important documents left her without an identity. “Those who stole my documents did not just take away my papers, they took away who I am,” she said.
Sowmya Gupta, a trans activist from TWEET Foundation, apprised TOI about the bureaucratic hurdles the community faces when registering as a voter. “Without a trans ID card, you can’t apply for a voter ID card,” said Gupta, adding that the documentation needed to obtain the trans ID card was a nightmare with issues like mismatched names, confusion over chosen names or the lack of a permanent address. These have left community members stranded as far as elections are concerned. According to official data of the Election Commission, only 1,267 transgender voters will be casting their ballot on Feb 5.
Transgenders aren’t the only community that feels like their identities are ignored or dismissed. Many of those peddling items at the traffic lights share a similar struggle in obtaining a voter ID card. As migrants, they incessantly face procedural barriers, a special problem being their lack of a residential address, living as they do peripatetically in rented accommodations. “They tell us our vote doesn’t matter because we’re not from Delhi and don’t own a home,” said a man selling balloons, speaking hurriedly as the light turned green at Tilak Bridge. “They don’t treat us with dignity. I’ve lived here for over 15 years and return home only for a month each year. Why doesn’t our voices count?”





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