New Delhi: When Delhi’s seven LS seats go to polls on Sunday, 16 women candidates will be among the 164 people testing their political fortunes. While some are confident of getting elected, others have entered the fray just to register a point. “We all contest the elections for winning. But it is for the public to decide who they want to elect,” Aditi, the sole female candidate from North West Delhi, said when asked about her chances of winning. In the battle for North West Delhi LS seat, the three main candidates are BJP’s singer-turned-politician Hansraj Hans, Congress’ Rajesh Lilothia and Aam Aadmi Party’s Gugan Singh Ranga.
“You can yourself see how sad the picture is. While 10 male candidates step out to contest the elections, only one female is there. This all happens as the females were always told their place is inside the house. People don’t encourage women to step out and work,” Aditi said. The 25-year-old social activist, working for the upliftment of the labour class in Bawana and women working as maids in households in the area, added the mindset of society is to blame for fewer women stepping out. “Why women are told their life is in kitchen? Why are they not encouraged to think? For women to step out, we need to improve the thinking,” she added.
Of the total 16 LS polls, since Independence the city has witnessed for seven times only one female candidate was elected and from the 1999 election, it has been a pattern with one female MP elected in 2004, 2009 and 2014. The city did not elect any female candidate six times and thrice has elected more than one woman candidates. Two women were elected from Delhi each in the 5th (1971), 11th (1996) and the 12th (1988) Lok Sabha. In the 1996 and 1998 polls, BJP’s Sushma Swaraj and Cong’s Meira Kumar were elected from Delhi. Priyanka, contesting from New Delhi seat, says the presence of even a single woman is a message. “Though there are only two women, they are present. People are free to contest polls. It is never about how many males and females, but the issues they are taking up is important,” she added. Deepti Chopra from Prism party said, “My party is new. In this election, our aim is to register our presence. People must know about the party.”
