Himachal Polls: More Women Cast Vote, But Few Get Party Tickets

This year, the BJP has given tickets to only six women, whereas the Congress has made room for only three.

When it comes to elections, women in Himachal Pradesh have been known to assert their voting rights more than men.

In the 2012 Vidhan Sabha elections, 69 percent men polled their votes as opposed to 76 percent women. But the situation is far less promising when it comes to giving women party tickets. In the 2017 elections, both the Congress and the BJP have neglected to give tickets to women. The BJP has given tickets to only six women, whereas the Congress has made room for only three.

BJP's 10%, Congress' 5%

Of the 68 seats in the Himachal Assembly, BJP has fielded only 10 percent of women. The Congress records fewer numbers, with only five percent of the Congress seats going to women. In a state where more than 24 lakh voters are women, the parties contesting have chosen to ignore half the population.

Women Come Out To Vote in More Numbers

In the last 19 years, women have been more active in voting in the elections at least in four Vidhan Sabha elections in Himachal.

5% Women in the Vidhan Sabha

Currently, the Vidhan Sabha only has three women. This means that there are less than five percent women in the Assembly. Of the 68 seats, only 10 women are contesting.

Among female contenders from the BJP, there are:

• Sarveen Choudhary, Shahpur
• Rita Dhiman, Indora
• Indu Goswami, Palampur
• Shashi Bala, Rohru
• Kamlesh Kumari, Bhoranj
• Vijay Jyoti, Kasumpti

The Congress contenders are:

• Viplove Thakur, Dalhousie
• Asha Kumari, Dehra
• Kaul Thakur, Mandi

(This story was first published on QuintHindi. It has been translated from Hindi by Suhasini Krishnan.)