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UP polls: Barring Cong, other political parties reluctant to field women in Prayagraj region
There are just 54 women contesting in Prayagraj region and among the Big-4 parties, Congress has given tickets to 10 candidates, BJP (2), SP (6) and BSP (1)
Barring Congress, most of the political parties this time too seem to be reluctant to field women candidates in the assembly elections in Prayagraj region, whose 22 seats go to polls in the fifth phase on February 27.
Mere 54 women candidates have filed their papers, including 36 from Prayagraj and nine each from Pratapgarh and Kaushambi districts.
The Big-4 comprising Congress, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have fielded mere 19 women candidates in the region’s three districts of Prayagraj, Pratapgarh and Kaushambi, nominations for which ended on February 8. Congress has fielded a maximum of 10 women candidates, followed by SP with six women in the fray. BJP has given tickets to just two women candidates, while BSP has fielded just one-woman candidate. The rest of the women candidates are either from smaller parties or contesting as independents.
On Prayagraj’s 12 seats, there are 36 women candidates out of the total of 244 contestants who have filed their papers.
Twelve women have filed papers as independent candidates, while seven are from Congress (including two from Meja seat itself), three from SP, one from BJP and none from Mayawati-led BSP.
Interestingly, smaller parties have fielded 12 women between them. None of the Big-4 has fielded a member of the fair sex from the three seats of Allahabad North, Phulpur and Koraon seats.
The seat of Pratappur, with 28 candidates in the fray, has a maximum of six women who have filed their papers, including SP’s Vijama Yadav, Pragatisheel Samaj Party’s Sanju Devi, Jan Adhikar Party’s Manju Maurya and Bharatiya Kamgar Party’s Gita Devi.
The Phaphamau seat, with 23 candidates in the fray, has just three women, including Congress’s Durgesh Pandey, Jan Jan (United) Party’s Rajeshwari Patel and an Independent Parul Jaiswal. The Soraon seat, with 13 candidates in the fray, has just one woman candidate SP’s Geeta Shastri, while Phulpur seat has just two women out of the total 20 candidates in the fray, including Jan Adhikar Party’s Mridula Singh and Subhashwadi Bhartoiya Samajwadi Party’s Sangeeta Yadav.
In Handia seat, among the 17 candidates in the fray, there is just one candidate Congress’s Reena Kumari, while in Karchhcna seat, among the 19 candidates, there is just one Congress’s Rinki Patel contesting the polls.
In Meja seat, among its 26 candidates, has two women Congress candidates — Madhavi Gautam and Shalini Dwivedi, besides BJP’s Neelam Karwariya, Rashtriya Samaj Dal’s Sunita Devi and independent candidates Saroj and Reena Singh in the contest.
The seat of Allahabad West, among its 24 candidates, has AAP’s Sushmita Raghav and SP’s Richa Singh, besides Akhil Bharatiya Socialist Party’s Adlina Jhonson David and two independents Preeti and Kamar Jahan contesting.
Allahabad North seat has three women candidates — Anamika, Ratan Srivastava and Ekta Bharti, fighting as independents. The Allahabad South seat, with a total of 20 candidates, has just four women in the fight, including Congress’s Alpana Nishad, Navnirman Party’s Manju Pandey, besides independent candidate Abhilasha Gupta, the Prayagraj mayor and wife of BJP’s candidate from this very seat Nand Gopal Gupta “Nandi”.
The Bara assembly seat has 18 candidates, with just four women, including Congress’s Manju Sant, Jan Kalyan Party’s Ravita Devi, Kamera Samaj Party’s Asha Devi and Akhil Bharatiya Socialist Party’s Sumitra Varun in the fight. In Koraon seat, among the 15 candidates, there are just two women in the fray, including Shiv Sena’s Arati Devi and independent Dipanshu.
On Pratapgarh’s seven assembly seats, Congress has fielded three women, BJP and SP one each and BSP none. District’s Raniganj seat has no woman contestant, while Congress’s Sunita is in the fray from Patti, Aradhana Mishra “Mona” has filed papers from Rampur Khas, and Veena Devi is in the fray from Babaganj. Vishwanath Ganj seat has Rashtra Uday Party’s Sarita Pal as the sole woman candidate, while in Kunda BJP’s Sindhuja Mishra and an independent Seema are the only two women candidates in the contest. Pratapgarh (Sadar) has a maximum of three women in the fight, including Krishna Patel of Apna Dal (Kamerawadi), Log Party’s Majida and an independent Sushma Pal.
On Kaushambi’s three seats, nine women are in the poll fray, including three independents, two from SP, one each from Congress and BSP and two from smaller parties. SP’s Pooja Pal is the sole woman candidate from Chail seat of the district, while Manjhanpur has two women candidates. BSP’s Neetu Kanojia and an independent Shukuri Devi. The Sirathu seat has a maximum of four women contestants, including SP’s Pallavi Patel, Congress’s Seema Devi and Azad Samaj party’s Deepmala Patel besides an independent Sana Begum.
