Women trump male rivals — and critics

Labelled 'proxy candidates for their husbands' by sceptics, women have given a befitting reply to their critics in the MCD polls as not only did they secure the 50 per cent seats reserved for them but also won on general seats.

Labelled 'proxy candidates for their husbands' by sceptics, women have given a befitting reply to their critics in the MCD polls as not only did they secure the 50 % seats reserved for them but also won on general seats.

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Women aspirants handed down defeat to their male counterparts on five general seats. For instance Mayor of the outgoing corporation, Rajni Abbi, defeated Congress' Sanjeev Kumar by a margin of 5,748 votes.

Similarly, in west Delhi's Hari Nagar, Raj Kumari of Congress defeated BJP candidate Avtar Singh by a margin of 4,700 votes and in north-east Delhi's Subhash Mohalla, Congress' Savita Sharma defeated Mukesh Kumar Sharma of the BJP by 255 votes.

Out of the 272 municipal wards across the city, 50 per cent were reserved for women this year to give more representation to the women in the civic body. "Women candidates have done well because safety of women and the need for their empowerment are major concerns among voters," said Vani Tripathi, national secretary, BJP.

It has not been an easy task for women as many of them faced stiff resistance from the male members of their family and critics describing them as nothing but 'proxy councillors'. Not only those affiliated to political parties but a number of independent women candidates had also contested the MCD elections and have emerged victorious. For instance, Indu, an independent candidate who contested from Roshanpura, defeated her BJP rival by a margin of 1,800 votes. "We support women taking charge of civic issues," said Abdul Rab, a resident of Okhla.