Reena Kashyap, only woman in next Himachal Vidhan Sabha

Ambika Sharma

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Solan, December 8

Women candidates have failed to make a mark in the state Assembly polls with merely sitting BJP MLA Reena Kashyap managing to win the Pachhad seat.

There were 34 women candidates in the fray, but many of them from other parties like AAP have lost their security deposits with none of them able to put up a reasonable fight. Though the voter turnout of women was more than men in 42 of the 68 constituencies, it has failed to help women candidates in registering victory.

The only woman Minister Sarveen Chaudhary, who had won four times earlier, failed to retain the Shahpur seat in Kangra district.

The Congress had fielded three women candidates, but none of them could manage to win. Former Cabinet Minister and six-time Congress MLA Asha Kumari lost from Dalhousie while Congress’ Champa Thakur, daughter of former Congress Minister Kaul Singh Thakur, also lost from Mandi Sadar.

The BJP had fielded five women candidates, including wives of former MLAs – Neelam Nayyar from Bhattiyat in Chamba district and Maya Sharma from Barsar in Hamirpur district.