Know how many women are contesting Telangana Polls; dismal women representation in State Assembly

The much touted ‘women's reservation bill’ ensuring minimum 33 per cent seats to women in the Lok Sabha and State assemblies, has been passed in Parliament but that is yet to be implemented. The bill’s effective implementation is subject to delimitation exercise on the basis of a new national census. But, a look at the Telangana election, the candidate list of prominent political parties in the context of women's representation throw some sorry figures as far as candidacy is concerned. 

Count of Women candidates -

• The ruling Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) have fielded 8 women candidates 

• Bharatiya Janta Party(BJP) that brought the Women reservation Bill in parliament, has fielded 15 women candidates out of 111 seats where they are contesting.

• The Congress has fielded only 11 women candidates. 

• The All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) hasn’t fielded a single woman candidate. They are contesting in 9 seats. 

• The total strength of Telangana assembly is 119

Dismal representation of women in State assembly- 

Telangana, the newest state of India has witnessed dismal representation of women in the State assembly over the past two assembly elections. The success rate of women in the same is equally shocking. 

In 2014 election, first after the State’s formation, there were total 127 women out of total 1612 candidates who had filed nomination. That was a mere 8 percent. Out of those 127 women candidates, only 9 got elected as MLA in the 119-seat state assembly.

In 2018 that figure went further down. 136 women had filed nominations out of total 1782 candidates. Total 6 women eventually got elected to the state assembly accounting to mere 5 percent of women representation in the assembly house. 

BRS has repeated almost 95 percent of their siting candidates leaving little room for fresh candidacy. “The women representation is dismal and it is sad. We can apologise to the women of the state and wish to better ourselves in the future. We are sorry” said KTR, BRS executive working president and sitting minister. Congress has however assured four ministerial berths for women if elected to power. 

Telangana goes to polling on November 30. The results will be declared on December 3, along with four other states including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chattisgarh and Mizoram.