BJP Nominates Six Women Candidates for Assam Assembly Elections
In the upcoming Assam assembly elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded six women candidates, marking a slight decrease from the seven female contenders the party nominated in the 2021 polls. This strategic move comes as the party aims to bolster its representation of women in the state legislature.
Historical Context and Current Representation
During the 2021 assembly elections, the BJP nominated seven women candidates, of whom two emerged victorious. This time, with the party contesting in 89 seats, the representation of women candidates stands at approximately 7%. In contrast, in 2016, the BJP fielded female nominees in six out of the 84 seats it contested.
Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has expressed confidence that all six women candidates will secure wins in the current election. He emphasized that by 2029, statutorily, women will have 33% reservation in political positions. If the BJP contests in all 126 seats, this would translate to 41 seats reserved for women.
Key Candidates and Their Backgrounds
The BJP has announced the following women candidates for the assembly polls:
- Madhavi Das will contest from the newly formed Birsing-Jarua constituency.
- Jyotsna Kalita is set to run from Chamaria.
- Nilima Devi will compete from Mangaldai.
- Ajanta Neog will represent Golaghat.
- Niso Terangpi is the candidate for Diphu (ST).
Ajanta Neog, who previously served as the finance minister of Assam—making her the first woman to hold this portfolio—and Nandita Gorlosa, the former sports and youth welfare minister, were among the winners in the 2021 elections. Both were part of the Himanta Biswa Sarma-led state cabinet.
Ajanta Neog's Political Journey
Ajanta Neog has a notable political trajectory. She quit the Congress party and joined the BJP in December 2020, just three months before the 2021 assembly elections. Neog has been representing the Golaghat assembly seat for five consecutive terms since 2001, initially on a Congress ticket for the first four terms and on a BJP ticket in the 2021 election.
In a statement, Neog expressed gratitude to the party leadership, including Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, and party president Dilip Saikia, for renominating her. She highlighted her hope for continued public support to sustain the all-round development that has been underway in Assam over the past decade.
Broader Trends in Women's Political Representation
The representation of women in Assam's political landscape has been historically low. According to Election Commission of India (ECI) data, in 2016, only eight out of 91 women candidates from all political parties, including the BJP and Congress, won seats. In 2021, this number dropped to six out of 76 women candidates who managed to enter the assembly.
Furthermore, in the 2016 cabinet led by then Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, there was only one female minister, Pramila Rani Brahma. This underscores the ongoing challenges and the need for increased female participation in politics, as highlighted by the BJP's current efforts and the promised statutory reservation by 2029.
