Arunachal Assembly poll: Only eight women get tickets

Despite promises made by various political parties to provide 33 per cent reservation to women candidates in the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, only eight women are in the fray for the 60-member house.

While ruling Congress has handed over tickets to only two sitting women MLAs, opposition BJP has not nominated any woman.

NCP has fielded Taba Nirmali (Yachuli) and Marpi Basar (Basar) and People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) has issued ticket to Toko Sheetal for Itanagar constituency.

Three other women-- Yai Mara (Likabali), Jane Mimi (Anini) and Anita Payeng-- are contesting as Independent candidates in the assembly elections.

"We did mobilise women to come forward and participate in the election. Within the Congress there were seven aspirants and we issued tickets to two in view of their winning prospects," said Mukut Mithi, President of Arunachal Pradesh Congress Committee (APCC).

The Chairperson of the Arunachal Pradesh State Commission for Women (APSCW) Gumri Ringu said "all political parties before election assure to provide opportunity to women to represent in state politics but the real scenario changes when time comes."

She also equally blamed women for not coming out of the four corners of their houses to participate in the electoral process.

Secretary of National Alliance of Women (NAW) Jarjum Ete attributed the reason of low participation of women candidates this election to the sudden dissolution of the state assembly on March 6 last.

"The term of the assembly is to be ended on October next... But the sudden dissolution before six months has forced the aspiring candidates to decline as they did not get time to gear up," Ete said adding that financial condition had also deterred several candidates.