Out of the 699 candidates contesting the Delhi Assembly elections on February 5, 96 are women, as political parties aim to attract female voters. In comparison, five years ago, 76 women were among the 672 candidates, PTI reported.
Among the three main political parties, both the BJP and AAP have fielded nine female candidates each, while Congress has seven women nominees. All three parties have increased the number of female candidates compared to the 2020 Assembly elections.
Notable women candidates from the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) include Chief Minister Atishi, Pooja Balyan, Pramila Tokas, and Rakhi Bidlani. AAP has also renominated Rakhi Bidlani, Pramila Tokas, Dhanwanti Chandela, Bandana Kumar, and Sarita Singh. New faces for AAP this time include Anjana Parcha and Pooja Balyan, the wife of MLA Naresh Balyan, who is contesting from Uttam Nagar. Naresh Balyan was recently arrested for alleged links to gangster Kapil Sangwan. CM Atishi will be contesting from the Kalkaji seat against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri and Delhi CM and incumbent MLA Atishi is up against BJP's Ramesh Bidhuri and Congress' Alka Lamba.
The BJP's key women candidates include Rekha Gupta, Poonam Sharma, Shikha Rai, and Priyanka Gautam. Among Congress' seven female nominees, prominent candidates are Alka Lamba, Ariba Khan, Ragini Nayak, and Aruna Kumari.
A total of 981 candidates filed nominations during the week-long window starting January 10. The final candidate list was confirmed after scrutiny on January 18, with the last date for withdrawal on January 20.
The elections will take place on February 5, and the results will be announced on February 8.
