Only 12 Women Candidates represent Assam in LS Elections 2024

By: WE Staff | Monday, 6 May 2024

Only 12 female candidates have represented Assam for the Lok Sabha Elections 2024, a decrease from last year's 14 candidates. However, Assam has witnessed more female voters compared to men but the race for representatives remained low. There are 2,45,72,144 voters in Assam out of which 1,23,39,241 female voters and 1,23,25,239 male voters have cast their votes.

The ruling party BJP has nominated Bijuli Kalita Medhi for Guwahati Lok Sabha Seat whereas Congress has nominated Mira Borthakur Goswami for Guwahati and Roselina Tirkey for Kaziranga. The minor parties have provided tickets to one woman each from the Hindu Samaj Party, Gana Sangram Parishad, SUCI(C), and Voters Party whereas two women received tickets from the Gana Suraksha Party. 3 independent women representatives are also competing from the respective states.

Along with 3 female candidates Kaziranga leads, followed by two in Kokrajhar (ST), and Guwahati, and one each from Sonitpur, Darrang-Udalguri, Nagaon, Barpeta, and Dhubri. There were four female candidates in the first round of polling, two in the second, and six in the third and final round, which will be conducted on May 7.

Women accounted for 78.81 per cent of voter turnout in the first phase and 85.55 per cent in the second phase, compared to 77.69 per cent for males. Additionally, women's organizations have prepared a manifesto for future government policies, but most parties ignored it, focusing on usual sops without strong and reliable measures for women's overall empowerment and welfare.