Sex workers elated with voting rights

Sex workers living in Delhi's infamous G.B.Road red-light area Thursday came out in good numbers to cast their vote and were extremely happy to have equal power and representation in the formation of the new government.

Coming in groups of friends and families, these women headed towards a polling booth in Chandni Chowk's Ajmeri Gate area, where political heavyweights like Congress' Kapil Sibal, AAP's Ashutosh and BJP's Harsh Vardhan are pitted against one another.

"I am very excited to exercise my vote for the first time in the Lok Sabha polls, and I can proudly say that I am an Indian citizen," Poornima, 23, a sex worker, told IANS.

"This is one day when people don't discriminate us. We are in the same queue as others, waiting for our turn to push the button," she added.

According to Iqbal Ahmad, general secretary of NGO Bhartiya Patita Uddhar Sabha (BPUS) that works for the sex workers, over 1,800 sex workers had enrolled as voters.

For 60-year-old Farida, the dingy lanes of this area have been her home forever.

She feels the community can play a major role in choosing the right candidate who can sincerely work towards making their lives better and problem-free.

"Government must take care of our rights as we are also the citizens of India. I want a good government that can solve our problems, take care of our rights, and keep a track on the criminal activities in our area," said Farida.

While most of them complain that they can't change the attitude of society towards them, they do hope the government has better plans for securing the lives of their children and improving their conditions.

"We are always looked down upon by ociety because our work is not socially acceptable. We can't change their perception, but we do want the government to do something for our children, offer them better education and jobs," Nasreen Begum, 40, told, IANS.