The national Capital has got its first transgender councillor after AAP’s Bobby Kinnar won the civic polls from Sultanpuri-A ward on Wednesday. Bobby Kinnar (38) was given a ticket from Sultanpuri A seat.
She has been associated with AAP since the Anna movement and later when the party was formed. Bobby defeated the Congress' Varuna Dhaka, daughter in law of former MLA Jai Kishan by 6,714 votes. This is the first time in the electoral history of Delhi where a transgender has won the seat. She had contested the civic polls in 2017 but lost.
"Aaj meri khushi ka thikana hai nahin... (My happiness knows no bounds today). This is a celebration of the victory of change and people are becoming more accepting of people like me," she said "The mentality is changing. I would say the mentality of 70 per cent of people has changed, I will change during my tenure as councillor," Bobby said. Bobby was only 15 when her family handed her over to a ‘guruji' from the transgender community under societal pressure. Having had to drop out of school when she was in Class 9 because of bullying and harassment, she will now be the first transgender member of the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD).
Bobby wants to beautify her constituency and improve the lives of her neighbours. Bobby is also the president ‘Hindu Yuva Samaj Ekta Awam Anti-Terrorism Committee’ Delhi unit. She has been associated with this organisation for the last 15 years.
"My number one priority will be cleaning the area. Under Congress and BJP councillors, the BJP was riddled with corruption. The beautification of parks that have been lying in disarray will also be a priority for me.
"The area is dirty and I will focus on cleaning it and getting rid of the garbage," she said.
Having long been associated with social work, she has been helping children get admission into schools. Bobby said a win for her would be good for the transgender community as well. "Society is changing and people from our community are being accepted. I have faced a lot of difficulties and hardships but now things are changing for the better," she had said.