Women nominees in Pachhad bypoll fail to enthuse fair sex

Ambika Sharma

Tribune News Service

Solan, October 22

Notwithstanding two female contenders in the Pachhad Assembly byelection, only eight of the 113 polling booths registered high female voting.

Congress’ Gangu Ram Musafir is pitted against BJP’s Reena Kashyap and BJP rebel Dayal Pyari, who is contesting as an Independent. It is for the first time that two women are in the fray from this segment where Musafir had served as an MLA seven times.

Figures assessed from the District Election Office revealed that though females turned out to vote in large numbers, they surpassed the male voters in merely eight polling booths. As many as 260 women turned up in Habban booth against 257 men, 161 in Kotla booth against 153 men, 233 in Kalaghat against 223 men, 167 in Mandi Khadana against 162 men, 263 in Banahan Ki Ser against 252 men, 140 in Gagal Shikor against 139 men and 172 in Chayola Bohal against 168 men.

The Badu Sahib polling booth, however, registered an exceptionally higher female voter turnout where 333 women voted against 108 men. The higher number of women voters is being attributed to the presence of a private university.

Interestingly, even the polling booths of the two women candidates did not register high women polling. In Dewal Tikkari, home booth of Dayal Pyari, 154 women turned out to vote against 168 men.