From running beauty parlour to contesting polls, aspiring Hijra MP aims to become Gazipur's saving grace
Among the 1,896 candidates running for the national elections, only two are Hijra. And Urmi is one of them.
Urmi, a Hijra, runs a beauty parlour in Gazipur.
It's where she has grown up in and where she feels much adoration from the people.
Growing up, she saw a great deal of suffering in the area stemming from poverty and proliferation of drugs.
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Now, Urmi has decided to take matters into her own hands.
She became a member of the Bangladesh Supreme Party's (BSP) central committee.
Due to her commitment, the party has nominated her to become the next member of parliament.
Now, as a Hijra contesting for the Gazipur-5 constituency in the upcoming polls as an aspiring lawmaker, Urmi has pledged to stand by the poor.
"If I am elected, I will always stand by the poor. Also, I would like to eliminate the influence of drugs in my area, and eventually from society," she told The Business Standard (TBS).
The party has been given the "ektara" symbol.
"We hail from the Maizbhandar, Sufis of the Madina Sanad," she said, referring to her community.
Acknowledging that her party is fairly new, she said she has full faith that there would be no obstacle as long as they are on the right path.
"I want to show everyone that our party is honest. We are purely a Sufi group. Everything we do will be honest and sincere," she added.
"They nominated me and I am forever grateful. I want to be with the people of Gazipur in happiness and sorrow, in adversity and danger," said Urmi.
Speaking on Urmi's candidacy, BSP Office Secretary Ibrahim Mia told TBS, "Our party is Islamic but not conservative. Our party is liberal.
"We have ensured representation of all communities and classes while giving out nominations. Urmi did not make any selection in the past. This is her first election," he added.
This election is not just an achievement for Urmi but also a great deal of joy for the Hijra community.
Among the 1,896 candidates running for the national elections, only two are Hijra.
And Urmi is one of them.
The other person is Anwara Islam Rani, a Hijra contesting for the Rangpur-3 seat.
In her constituency, there are seven others running for the elections.
When Urmi submitted her affidavit to the Election Commission, she mentioned that she earns around Tk1.8 lakh annually from business.
Urmi listed around Tk8 lakh of cash and 5 bhori gold among her only assets.
She is a self-made, self-educated person with no land or home to her name.
