The Nikhila Odisha Kinnar and Trutiyalingi Mahasangha on Thursday met State Election Commissioner Rabi Naryan Senapati regarding their problems and requested him to consider their demands.
Senapati promised to look into the demands of the eunuchs and apprise the Government about their problems soon.
The Mahasangha demanded a five-per cent reservation for eunuchs in the sarpanch, nominee, ward member, Zilla Parishad member seats in the coming panchayat polls and providing voters’ identity cards to the eunuchs in special camps, said Mahasangha president Pratap Kumar Sahu.
Sahu said though the rural poll process is on, no seats have been reserved for eunuchs. So, even if they are interested to contest in the elections, they cannot contest as they are eunuchs.
Besides, as there is no reservation for them, no political party is approaching them. As there is reservation for women, Schedule Castes and Scheduled Tribes, a five-per cent of the seats should be reserved for them, as a result they can contest in the panchayat elections, he argued.
Among others, Sangha vice-president Menaka, general secretaries Meghna Sahu and Sonam, assistant secretary Azad Hind Panigrahi and treasurer Parthasathy Jena were part of the delegation that submitted a memorandum to the SEC.