UP eunuch eyes Mayor8217;s post

LUCKNOW, NOV 6: If eunuchs can contest urban local bodies poll and win in Madhya Pradesh then why not in Uttar Pradesh ? The nomination papers of an eunuch, one among ten candidates for the post of Gorakhpur Mayor, was declared valid last night. If all goes well she will be the Mayor of Gorakhpur.

The district administration had no difficulty in declaring the nomination papers of nine candidates. But it was in predicament while declaring the papers of eunuch Asha Devi alias Amarnath Yadav valid. The district administration had to contact the state Election Commissioner Dr Yashpal Singh to ascertain Asha Devi8217;s sex as the voter list carried the name as Amarnath Yadav alias Asha Devi. It was on the directive of the Election Commissioner that the name was corrected as Asha Devi. The eunuch8217;s age also proved another hurdle. The services of the Chief Medical Officer was sought to verify it. He declared it as 45 instead of 25 quoted in the voters list. Dr Singh gave this directive after consulting his counterpart in MP where many eunuchs had contested the recent local bodies elections and had won too.

It was on his advice that the name of the eunuch was corrected as Asha Devi and the papers were declared valid.

Asha Devi says though there aren8217;t many eunuchs in Gorakhpur, she would rope in the services of eunuchs of other districts of UP and other states for electioneering. She is hopeful of getting cent per cent votes of women who have a soft corner for them.