📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Furfur
Politics
First third‑gender voters added to Sikkim electoral rolls
✍️ The Assam Tribune
🗓 22 Sep 2026, 09:36 PM
👁 13
Two third‑gender individuals have been entered into Sikkim’s electoral rolls, marking the state’s first inclusion of transgender voters.
Sikkim’s Election Commission has officially recorded two third‑gender individuals on the state’s electoral rolls, making them the first transgender voters to be listed in the Himalayan state. The registration was completed earlier this week and the names have been published in the latest roll update.
The move follows the 2014 Supreme Court judgment in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India, which recognized a third gender category and directed all states to amend electoral lists accordingly. Sikkim, which has a relatively small electorate, had previously not reported any third‑gender entries.
Activists and legal experts view the inclusion as a significant step toward broader political participation for India’s transgender community. The Election Commission has said it will continue to facilitate registrations for other third‑gender citizens in upcoming electoral cycles.
The move follows the 2014 Supreme Court judgment in National Legal Services Authority v. Union of India, which recognized a third gender category and directed all states to amend electoral lists accordingly. Sikkim, which has a relatively small electorate, had previously not reported any third‑gender entries.
Activists and legal experts view the inclusion as a significant step toward broader political participation for India’s transgender community. The Election Commission has said it will continue to facilitate registrations for other third‑gender citizens in upcoming electoral cycles.