Telangana Assembly passes bill for transgender representation in municipal corporations

The Telangana Legislative Assembly on Friday passed a bill to enable the co-option of transgender persons as members in municipal corporations, with the government saying the move would provide them representation in municipal administration and decision-making.

Legislative Affairs Minister D Sridhar Babu, who moved the Telangana Municipalities (Fourth Amendment) Bill, 2026, on behalf of Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy, said the legislation would provide representation to transgender persons in nine municipal corporations outside the Core Urban Region (CURE) of Hyderabad.

Under the proposed amendment, one transgender person will be nominated as a co-opted member in each of the nine municipal corporations.

The bill seeks to amend the Telangana Municipalities Act, 2019, to facilitate the co-option of transgender persons in the corporations.

Sridhar Babu said the government had taken several initiatives to bring transgender persons, who face social discrimination and marginalisation, into the mainstream and ensure greater participation in public life.

Members of the BJP, CPI and other parties supported the bill, following which it was passed by the Assembly.