Stalemate continues in battle for crown

The 'blow-hot-blow cold' battle for supremacy of the eunuch network in the state has hit a roadblock. Reason? Three new aspirants have emerged in the contest and are having a go at one another to attain the 'crown'.

After the murder of Sonia De in November 2011 and her rival Sanju De's subsequent death in December, two of their pawns had begun their struggle to the top of the chain as predicted by DNA in its January 2 report.

However, a third candidate has now entered the race, Pappi De. Blinded by the shiny throne and lavish lifestyle that was once occupied by Sanju and then Sonia, these three new eunuch leaders will stop at nothing to take control. Just last month, members of Nitu and Bhavna's respective gangs had a showdown in broad daylight near Vastrapur lake, which was once a stronghold of Sonia De.

However, Pappi De, a resident of Vatva, seems to be playing her cards behind the scenes. This new aspirant to the 'throne' is said to have people placed in both the rivals' camps, according to sources from the community. Pappi is using these contacts to recruit more followers to her own gang and leveraging from the other two leaders' rivalry to her advantage.

With both Bhavna and Nitu De not considering Pappi a real threat, it seems the latter might just sway the power into her own hands.

Meanwhile, with no senior leader in place to resolve this power struggle, sources said that Nitu and Bhavna might call in leaders from other prominent eunuch networks including, New Delhi and Mumbai among others. These leaders from other regions might be able to guide the currently 'queenless' state into a new leadership. With such high stakes, this meeting could either lead to an amicable compromise or make matters even worse resulting in more violence, said sources close to the development.

The last time there was such a power struggle in the eunuch community of the state, there were multiple incidents of bloodshed, which ended with Sonia becoming the queen, leaving Sanju scarred from acid burns on her face.