This woman was shunned and cast out - but now she's running a city.

This woman’s name is Madhu Bai Kinnar. You should remember it, because her name just went down in history.

Kinnar just became the first transgender politician to be legally accepted into her role. And in a country that still retains some overwhelmingly conservative laws, that’s a seriously big deal.

Earlier this week Kinnar, an independent candidate for the seat of Chhattisgarh, defeated her opponents in the election with a margin of over 4500 votes.

Kinnar was born a boy named Naresh Chaudan and into the Dalit or ‘untouchable’ caste – so for Kinnar to be elected to power–and legally recognised as a woman–represents a progressive sign for the nation.

“He behaved and dressed like girls,”her father Nanki Ram, told the Indian Express. “We tried to change him but could not.”

Kinnar was once married to a woman and fathered three children, but over a decade ago decided to stop living a lie. She ran away to a community with other transgender people shunned by their families.

At that time she was only been able to find a job singing and dancing as an entertainer on trains. That is until her community urged her to run for election and she embarked on “door-to-door campaigns with my sisters” to become a politician.

“People have shown faith in me,” Kinnar said in the wake of her victory. “I consider this win as love and blessings of people for me. I’ll put in my best efforts to accomplish their dreams.”

Kinnar’s victory follows some positive steps to protect transgender people in India over the last year. In April, the country’s Supreme Court officially recognised transgender people as belonging to a “third gender”. Legislation was passed by the government to protect the rights of transgender people, as well as provide the same support given to other minority groups.

Some transgender people are also finding success in high-profile spots on television, such as Padmini Prakash, 30, a presenter on Lotus TV channel in Coimbatore, South India.

Last year Prakash became so popular with viewers that she was promoted to become a nightly news anchor soon after joining the station.

“We’re born into the wrong body, it’s not our fault,” Prakash said. “I know so many transgenders who are struggling to pay for surgery. Their lives are frozen in time because of the costs involved.”

How to speak to the trans community without being a jerk.

The new mayor hopes–amongst other things– to help transgender individuals in her community overcome the issues they currently face. Top of her agenda, the Indian Express reports, is ensuring they are no longer forced to beg on trains and stop being discriminated from employment opportunities due to their gender.

Critics have said Madhu’s win is not a reflection of a more progressive India, but rather a result of her opponent, from the Bharatiya Janata Party, being disliked more by the electorate. 

But Madhu isn’t letting the haters bring her down: “People have shown faith in me. I consider this win as love and blessings of people for me. I’ll put in my best efforts to accomplish their dreams,” Kinnar said in local news reports. 

“It was the public support that encouraged me to enter the poll fray for the first time,” Kinnar told reporters after her victory. “Because of their support only, I emerged as the winner.”