'Only 111 women elected to Gujarat Assembly since 1962, Representation never exceeded 10%': ECI Data

Ahmedabad: Only 111 women have made it to the Gujarat legislative assembly since the first election in 1962 and their representation has never crossed 10 per cent of the House strength, shows data compiled by the Election Commission of India.

As per the data analysed by News18, in the previous 2017 Assembly election, as many as 13 women were elected to the Gujarat Assembly. From the first assembly election in 1962, when 11 candidates were elected to the House, this number was only two more.

Between 1962 and 2017, there were one and 16 women elected to the House in each election. The lowest number of women elected to the assembly was one in 1972, while the highest number—16—was elected in 1985, 2007 and 2012.

While the proportion of women in the House has not changed significantly, there have been more women candidates—from 19 in 1962 to 126 in 2017—and more women who have lost their deposits. Three women lost their deposits in 1962, and the number rose to 104 in 2017.

Additionally, the state has had only one woman chief minister- Anandiben Patel from 2014 to 2016. She replaced then-Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who resigned to become the Prime Minister.

Women in Gujarat Assembly Elections 2022

As per the data from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR), 138 or just nine per cent of the total women candidates are in fray this time. Along with the Gujarat Election Watch, the ADR has analysed self-sworn affidavits of all 1,621 candidates, who are running for the two-phase poll.

The report stated, “Out of 1,621 candidates analysed, 476 are from national parties, 219 from state parties, 302 from registered unrecognised parties, and 624 candidates are contesting independently.”

The BJP, one of the major political parties, has fielded 17 women (9 per cent), followed by 13 from the Congress (7 per cent). There are just four per cent of female candidates in the AAP.

The results on December 8 will reveal the current state of the assembly’s female representation.

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