Cong, BJP field just 11 women candidates for Delhi polls

Both BJP and Congress may have supported the demand for reserving 33% seats for women in Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies but when it comes to fielding women candidates for December 4 polls in Delhi, the two parties fared poorly.

A total of only 11 women candidates have been fielded by BJP and Congress in the election for the 70-member House while from Aam Admi Party, six women are contesting the polls.

A woman Chief Minister is heading the Congress government in Delhi for 15 years, but the party has fielded only six women which is 8.5% of all candidates.

The BJP has fielded five women candidates which is 7.5% of its total 66 contestants. The party has left four seats to its ally Akali Dal (Badal).

The number of tickets given to women candidates by the three leading parties is in sharp contrast to population of women voters in Delhi.

According to electoral roll, a total of 1.19 crore people are eligible to vote out of which over 53 lakh are women and 66 lakh are men.

Out of 810 candidates in the fray, only 70 are women.

In 2008 elections, a total 57 women candidates were in the fray.

The parties claimed that fielding less number of women candidates was not "intentional" but "circumstantial".

"The selection of candidates for contesting the polls is circumstantial too. We definitely support 33 per cent reservation for women but there are certain factors influencing the actual representation of women in the polls," former Delhi BJP Chief Vijender Gupta said.