Only 4 women candidates figure in BJP and Cong lists

DESPITE the rhetoric surrounding women's empowerment and the advocacy for a 33 percent reservation for women, political parties in Gujarat display reluctance in nominating female candidates for electoral positions.

- DILIP SINGH KSHATRIYA

Both the BJP and Congress, as major parties in the state, are guilty of this reluctance. In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP secured six women MPs out of 26 seats in Gujarat.

However, in the current 2024 elections, the BJP has fielded only four women candidates. Similarly, the Congress party has also nominated just four women candidates for the Lok Sabha elections this time.

It's worth noting that Gujarat has approximately 2.39 crore women voters, constituting around 50 per cent of the total registered voters.