In all, 290 transgender voters are eligible to cast their votes in the upcoming Assembly polls. The number reveals a positive trend, Chief Electoral Officer Teeka Ram Meena has said.

“This is a positive indication as far as the State is concerned. It proves that they have confidence in the system,” Mr. Meena said here on Monday. Among the districts, Thiruvananthapuram has the highest number of voters in this category, 61. Kozhikode has 51 voters and Thrissur, 46.

Malappuram has 25 transgender voters while Kannur 14, Kottayam 10, Kollam 17 and Ernakulam, 27. Palakkad has 17 voters in this category, Pathanamthitta seven, Alappuzha four, Idukki four, Kasaragod six and Wayanad, one. Two of the voters in this category are in the 80-plus age group and 15 in the 60-79 age group. Ninety-nine of the transgender voters are in the 20-29 age group, 75 are in the 30-39 age group, 47 in the 40-49 age group and 33 in the 18-19 age group.

Members of the transgender community cast their votes registered as the ‘third gender’ for the first time in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections in Kerala. That year, the category had listed 174 voters.