Fewer women candidates make it to Assam Assembly this time

Eight women candidates have been elected to the new Assam legislative Assembly, which is six less than the figure of 14 in the last House.

Women representatives will thus comprise only 6.35% of the 126-member house, lower than the 11.1% in the last Assembly.

A higher turn out of women was, however, witnessed with 84.81% of the total 92,09,928 female voters exercising their franchise in the just concluded polls.

The Congress, which gave tickets to 16 members, has the highest number of three representatives which include PWD Minister and sitting Golaghat MLA Ajanta Neog and two new faces — Roselina Tirkey from Sarupathar and Nandita Das from Boko who made it to the new assembly.

All the sitting women Congress MLAs, including two outgoing ministers — Bismita Gogoi and Sumitra Patir, who were given tickets lost the polls.

The newly elected BJP government gave tickets to six female candidates with only two — Angoorlata Deka from Batadrava and Suman Haripriya from Hajo making it to the state assembly.

The BPF gave tickets solely to its sitting women candidates — Pramila Rani Brahma from Kokrajhar(East) and Kamali Basumatari from Panery and they retained both the seats.

The AGP, which had no women representative in the last Assembly, had given tickets to only two women with former Deputy Speaker Renupama Rajkhowa winning the Teok seat.

The AIUDF had one representative in the last Assembly but not a single woman candidate managed to win a seat though it had put up five candidates.

Most of the major parties gave less tickets to women in this election with Congress giving tickets to 16 candidates as against 19 in 2011.