Haryana assembly election 2019: Of 1,169 candidates, only one-fourth are women

CHANDIGARH:  As many as 1,169 candidates will be contesting the upcoming assembly election in Haryana for 90-member assembly, scheduled for October 21. However, only 104 of them are women candidates.

More than 90 per cent of the candidates contesting are men, while women are less than one-fourth of the total candidates contesting the upcoming election.

The Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) has fielded 15 women candidates- the highest among all the parties, women candidates fighting on a BJP ticket are 12 while the Congress has fielded nine women candidates and Dushyant Chautala-led Jannayak Janata Party (JJP) has fielded seven candidates.

Even though the women candidates will be highlighted in the Haryana assembly polls, they are lesser in number than the number of women candidates who contested the Haryana assembly election in 2014. In 2014 state elections, Haryana sent 115 women candidates — accounting for nine per cent of total candidates.

Prominent women candidates fielded by the BJP during Haryana assembly election 2019 includes wrestling champion Babita Phogat from Dadri constituency, TV actress and social media app Tick Tock sensation Sonali Phogat from Adampur constituency and London-returned Nauksham Chaudhary who will be contesting from Punhana constituency, cabinet minister in the Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar-led government, Kavita Jain has been fielded again from Sonipat.

Sonali Phogat has been fielded against former chief minister Bhajan Lal’s son Kuldeep Bishnoi. The Bhajan Lal family has never lost any Assembly election from Adampur since 1967. Rajya Sabha MP Chaudhary Birender Singh’s wife and sitting MLA Prem Lata will contest again from Uchana Kalan. Latika Sharma (Kalka), Seema Trikha (Badkhal), Santosh Danoda (Narwana) and Asha Khedar (Uklana) are among the BJP’s other candidates.

From the Congress, among the prominent leaders former Congress Legislative Party leader Kiran Choudhry from Tosham assembly seat and former minister Geeta Bhukal. The party also appointed a woman state president — Kumari Selja — weeks before the upcoming polls who replaced former party leader Ashok Tanwar.

The Chautala family’s "bahu" Naina Chautala has been fielded by the JJP from Badhra against former chief minister Bansi Lal’s son Ranbir Mahindra. JJP’s Sadhaura candidate, Kusum Sherwal had contested 2014 Lok Sabha elections from Ambala. Kamlesh Saini, fielded from Narnaul, had contested 2014 Assembly polls from this seat as an INLD candidate but lost by around 4,000 votes.

Earlier, the INLD had announced that it will field 33 per cent of women candidates, however, the number of candidates fielded are less.