Indian hijras (Deviant Didg/Nikki Rixon)

An Indian transgender woman has made history: She is the first trans woman to be elected as mayor within the country.

Madhu Bai Kinnar will represent Raigarh in the state of Chhattisgarh. She beat her rival by 4.5K+ votes.

It’s estimated that India has around 2M transgender people. India’s population in 2013 was 1.252B, so transgender people would comprise around .15% of the total.

It’s not only a victory for trans people, but also for those in the lower classes. Kinnar was a member of the Dalit lowest caste, sometimes termed “the untouchables.”

India has made great strides in trans issues recently. Last year, the Indian Supreme Court ruled to recognize transgender persons as “third-gender,” termed “hijra.” The ruling came five years after the country introduced the “other” option for gender on ballot forms.