Dhaka:
Anowara Islam Rani, a young transgender from the northern region of Bangladesh, has emerged as the first candidate of her gender to enter electoral politics, a symbol of resilience and change in the country, according to a media report on Saturday .
The participation of Rani, who is standing for election from the Rangpur-3 constituency in the northern region of the country, is seen as a strong step towards inclusivity, according to BNN Breaking, an independent news network.
“A symbol of resilience and change, Anowara Islam Rani is making her mark as the first transgender candidate to run for office,” the report said.
With a total of 849 registered transgender voters, Rani's candidature in the Rangpur-3 constituency epitomizes the country's evolving political landscape.
Bangladesh heads to its twelfth general election on Sunday.
The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), the country's main opposition party led by former Prime Minister Khalida Zia, is boycotting the elections amid violence and has launched a 48-hour nationwide strike against the 'illegal government'.
The BNP is demanding an interim party-neutral government to hold the elections.
However, the demand was rejected by the government led by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who is also chairman of the ruling Awami League.
More than 800,000 law enforcement personnel, including army troops, were deployed to maintain peace and order, while his office simultaneously deployed some 3,000 executive and judicial magistrates to ensure the smooth conduct of the elections.
More than 119 million people are registered as voters, but voters seemed uninterested in exercising their right to vote due to a lack of competitiveness.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)