Royal women vote for women

The former Royals have also played a major role in opening the doors of political arena for the faires sex with Gayatri Devi contesting on a Swatantra Party ticket in 1962 polls when total six women contestants were in the fray.

The former Royals have also played a major role in opening the doors of political arena for the fairer sex with Gayatri Devi contesting on a Swatantra Party ticket in 1962 polls when total six women contestants were in the fray.

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Another royal, from Maharani Krishna Kumari from Jodhpur joined the election fray in 1971 as an independent with Gayatri Devi. Both won at the hustings.

Congress' first woman candidate

Congress succeeded in sending its first women candidate to the lower house in 1980 when Nirmala Kumari won Chittorgarh seat while four other women nominees from different seats lost - three of them security deposits too.

The 1991 polls saw number of women contestents rising to 14 of which three returned successful.

Maharani Shubhangini Raje Gaekwad of Baroda after joining BJP

Besides Raje, BJP nominee former

Maharani of Alwar

,

Mahendra Kumari

succeeded at the husting while Congress candidate Girija Vyas too made her entry into Lok Sabha from Udaipur.

Largest number of 25 women candidates joined the election battle in 1996 polls which returned the largest number of four women members to Lok Sabha.

In the last elections in 1999 only three women succeeded in entering into the Lok Sabha from among 15 contestants from different constituencies. They were Raje, Vyas and BJP's Jaskaur Meena.

Although the picture for the current polls would be clear later it is certain after partial announcement of party ticket by two major parties - BJP and Congress - Udaipur would witness clash of women candidates.

While BJP has named it state mahila morcha chief Kiran Maheshwari, the Congress has again fielded Girija Vyas, who has been renominated.