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Bihar assembly election 2020: No woman candidate in over two dozen constituencies
Among 146 women candidates, only 27 have been fielded by the leading political parties with eight women from the Grand Alliance, 13 from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and six from the Lok Janshakti Party, while rest of the women are fighting elections as independent candidates or on the tickets of smaller political parties.
While the polling for the second phase is going to be held in 94 Assembly constituencies in 17 districts of the state on November 3, altogether 1,464 candidates are in the fray with only 146 women.
Among these 146 women candidates, only 27 have been fielded by the leading political parties with eight women from the Grand Alliance, 13 from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) and six from the Lok Janshakti Party, while rest of the women are fighting elections as independent candidates or on the tickets of smaller political parties.
In many constituencies, the fight seems to be mainly between women against women.
In Runni Saidpur constituency in Sitamarhi district, Mangita Devi, the RJD candidate, is fighting against Guddi Devi of the LJP.
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In Khagaria district, Punam Devi of the JD (U) is pitted against Renu Kumari of the LJP while in Cheria Bariyarpur in Begusarai district, the fight seems to be mainly between Manju Verma of the JD (U) and Rakhi Devi of the LJP.
Apart from the fight of women against women, in nearly two dozen Assembly constituencies in this phase, there are no women candidates.
In Vaishali, there are no woman contestants out of the 14 candidates in the fray.
In Sitamarhi constituency, there is no woman candidate in its list of 12 contestants.
Maharajganj constituency
Even in Maharajganj constituency in Siwan which has 27 candidates, the highest number of candidates in the fray, there is no woman candidate.
Also Read: In Bihar, contradictions of aspiration, representation
And in nine Assembly constituencies, Patna Sahib (12 candidates) and Fatuha (19 candidates) are without women candidates while Kumrahar which has total 24 candidates in fray, there is only one woman candidate and in Bankipure which has a total of 22 candidates fighting in the elections there are four women while in Digha which has total six are women, including one from the CPI (ML), Shashi Yadav while the rest are from smaller parties or are independent candidates.
“The list of the candidates in the fray in the second phase of the state Assembly elections indicate that the things have been moving at a snail’s pace in terms of women empowerment,” Kanchanbala, a social activist, said.
