Women constitute 49.98% of electoral roll of Assam, but only 8.17% of total candidates

Guwahati: Women nearly equal their male counterparts in the electoral rolls of Assam and outnumber them in 16 out of the 35 districts, but they constitute a mere 59 out of the 722 candidates in the fray for the 126-member state Assembly election.

Attired in their bright and vibrant clothes, mostly traditional handloom textiles, women outnumber men in campaign rallies and meetings of political parties.

Promises galore have been made by political parties to woo women voters, but when it comes to giving tickets to them, most parties shy away by making a token representation, activists point out.

The women constitute 49.98 per cent of the electoral roll in Assam, but they only make up 8.17 per cent of the total candidates contesting the April 9 elections.

In the 2021 Assam Assembly election, 74 women candidates were in the fray, but this time the number has come down to 59, activists said.

In 16 out of the 35 districts of Assam, women voters outnumber men, but only 59 women candidates are in the fray for the Assam Assembly election.

Among the parties, the Opposition Congress has the highest number of women candidates at 14, followed by the ruling BJP at 7, while NDA partners Bodo Peoples’ Front (BPF) has one, and the regional party AGP does not have a single woman candidate.

The AIUDF has given tickets to two women candidates, while the United Peoples’ Party Liberal (UPPL), Raijor Dal and the Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) have given tickets to one candidate each, and the rest are independents.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a bid to assuage the low representation of women in the electoral field, pointed out in his campaign rallies that there was a requirement for more women’s representation in both Parliament and Assemblies.

He assured that 33 per cent reservation of women will be implemented from the 2029 Lok Sabha polls and urged women to convince all parties to build a consensus for the Bill to be discussed in the forthcoming special session of Parliament from April 16.

The ruling BJP has claimed that they have given tickets based on the candidate’s performance and to those who have worked hard to strengthen the party at the grassroots.

The decline in the number of women in the fray has not gone down well with women activists, who assert that time and again, political parties have “failed” women by not ensuring implementation of the promise of 33 per cent seats in elected bodies and neglecting women’s representation despite their excellent record in public life as well as governance.

Among the BJP candidates is minister Ajanta Neog, who is contesting from the Golaghat constituency for the sixth consecutive time.

The other women minister in the outgoing cabinet is Nandita Garlosa, who was denied a ticket by the BJP and then went on to join the Congress to contest from the Haflong (ST).

The Congress has a blend of old and new candidates with former minister Pranati Phukan from Naharkatia, sitting MLA Nandita Das from Hajo-Sualkuchi, former legislator Roselina Tirkey from Khumtai, and the party’s state Mahila Morcha President Mira Borthakur Goswami among the veterans.