Lucknow: As nomination process for the fourth phase of Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh scheduled on February 23 in Lucknow has been completed, political parties have been reluctant to field woman candidates in the high- stakes political battle.
A total of nine assembly seats aer going to the polls in the 4th phase in Lucknow including both urban and rural. These include North, East, West, Central Vidhan Sabha, Cantt, Sarojini Nagar, Bakshi Ka Talab, Malihabad and Mohanlalganj Vidhan Sabha. In all these seats, SP, Congress and BJP have made a total of six women their candidates.
Of these, three women candidates are from the Congress, two candidates are from the Samajwadi Party and one is from the Bharatiya Janata Party. Although women voters are said to play a significant role in the UP elections, but parties have so far hesitated in giving tickets to women even as Congress party has taken a lead in fielding women candidates. The party has given relative importance to women.
The party's national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi had also announced in the run up to the polls to give 40 percent tickets to women. Out of nine assembly seats of Lucknow, Congress has nominated Shahana Siddiqui for the West assembly seat while Sadaf Jafar from Central Assembly seat. Mamta Chaudhary is the Congress candidate from Mohanlalganj Assembly seat.
The party has to an extent kept the promise of giving 40 per cent tickets to women. Bahujan Samaj Party, a party headed by a women, has been lagging in giving preference to women. An example of this is Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh where BSP does not have a female candidate in any of the nine assembly seats.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which has been in power for five years in Uttar Pradesh, has also been reluctant in giving women a share. As for giving representation to young and veteran leaders, Samajwadi Party has overtaken other parties in Lucknow. On behalf of SP, Pooja Shukla has been made a candidate for the northern assembly seat.
Pooja's is a little over 25 years and is being seen as a flamboyant leader. At the same time, the party has fielded Sushila Saroj as its candidate from Mohanlalganj assembly seat, who is in her 70s. Sushila Saroj has also been an MP in the past.
As for the BJP, out of the nine assembly seats in Lucknow, the party has given ticket to Jayadevi Kaushal as the only woman candidate in Malihabad assembly seat. Jayadevi is already an MLA of Bharatiya Janata Party. The party has given her a ticket again.
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