MALAPPURAM: Transwoman Anannyah Kumari Alex — the Democratic Social Justice Party (DSJP) candidate in Vengara — has decided to withdraw from campaigning for the assembly election. Announcing the same on Friday, she alleged that a DSJP leader abused her verbally.Anannyah said she decided to quit after realising she would face sexual abuse from the person. “When I complained about the situation to the DSJP leadership, they refused to take action against the person who abused me verbally. So I have decided to quit from election campaigning,” she said.
I will not continue with the party until the leadership takes action against the person who abused me verbally levelling charges of sexual exploitation, said Anannyah. Further, Anannyah said she was forced to wear Purdah as Vengara is a Muslim-dominated area. “The DSJP is a new party and it fielded me in Vengara to gain publicity. The Election Commission should conduct an investigation about all the candidates of this party,” she added.
The DSJP should be considered an anti-women and anti-transgender party, Anannyah said. “An event management company connected me to the people of DSJP. Initially, they had considered another famous trangender. As she refused the offer to become a candidate of the party, they approached me,” said Anannyah.
She saw that as an opportunity for a transwoman to prove that people from their community can also lead society and work for the progress of women and transgenders, she said. “I accepted their offer. But now I have seen the anti-women and anti-transgender stand of the party. How can I then stay with a party that supports verbal abusers of women and transgenders,” she said.Despite repeated attempts by TNIE, the DSJP leadership did not respond to the issues raised by Annanyah.