DEHRADUN, APRIL 14: Rajni Rawat, the head eunuch of Dehradun, has turned the April 19 mayoral elections, into a colourful affair.

A large number of eunuchs, particularly those who have won elections in various parts of the country, are descending on Doon valley to campaign for her. The star attraction is Shabnam Mausi, the lone eunuch legislator of Madhya Pradesh. “We expect her to be here by Tuesday along with others like Asha Devi, a former mayor of Gorakhpur,” said Rajni. In her manifesto, Rajni promises to turn Doon into a clean city with special emphasis on providing better civic amenities for the poor and downtrodden living in slums. “I am a candidate of the poor and would like to do everything for the city,” she announced in one of her election meetings.

Her big cut-out and banners are everywhere in Dehradun and her election symbol of aeroplane has become popular. “I was third in my family from Pauri Garhwal having two brothers and four sisters but was given to Ram Pyari, the eunuch guru, at the age of five. I learnt dance and music to beg for living while my other siblings went to school,” she told The Indian Express.

“Now, I run a social organisation called ‘Daya’ that provides financial assistance to around 1,000 poor students.”

Sonam Singh, president of Akhil Bharatiya Kinnar Samaj based at Ajmer who is coordinating Rajni’s election campaign, said: “We are most fair and secular people and have no personal axe to grind. Therefore, the common people like us. We have more than 40 councillors throughout the country.”

There may be doubts about her winnability, but there is unanimity that she would upset poll calculations of most of the candidates.