RAIPUR: In the recently concluded Chhattisgarh assembly elections, 19 women candidates secured victories, showcasing a notable increase from the 2018 polls, where 13 women were elected. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) claimed 8 seats, and the Congress secured 11 out of the total 90-member assembly.
During the 2018 polls, 10 women from the Congress, one from the BJP, and one each from the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) were elected. Subsequently, three more women from the Congress were elected in bypolls, bringing the total to 16.
In the recent elections, the BJP and Congress fielded 15 and 18 women candidates, respectively. The Janata Congress Chhattisgarh (J) presented 11 women, BSP had seven, and the Aam Aadmi Party endorsed five women candidates.
The BJP secured victories for eight women candidates, including Union Minister Renuka Singh (Bharatpur-Sonhat seat) and former State Minister Lata Usendi (Kondagaon). The Congress, on the other hand, had winners like Anila Bhendia (Dondi-Lohara seat) and Uttari Ganpat Jangde (Sarangarh).
Notably, the state saw a total of 1,181 candidates, with 155 women and one transgender person, participating in the electoral process. The number of women voters exceeded men in 50 seats, contributing to the overall participation of 2,03,93,160 electors, including 1,02,56,865 women and 1,01,35,543 men.
In the 2018 elections, only one woman MLA from the BJP was elected, and this time, the party's re-nominated candidate Ranjana Sahu faced defeat. The Congress chose not to field six incumbent women MLAs, and re-nominated legislators Ambica Singh Deo and Rashmi Ashish Singh also suffered defeats. Additionally, sitting legislators Renu Jogi (JCC-J) and Indu Banjare (BSP) lost their seats in the recent elections."
(With agency inputs)
