4 women in fray in Doda, Kishtwar

With 64 candidates trying their luck in the first phase of election in remote Doda and Kishtwar districts of Jammu division, all eyes are on the four women candidates in the fray.

These four women candidates include BJP’s Shagun Parihar from Kishtwar, National Conference’s Pooja Thakur from Padder-Nagseni, BSP’s Meenakshi Bhagat from Bhaderwah and Independent Meenakshi Kalra from Doda West.

Another woman candidate Fatima Begum from Inderwal in Kishtwar, who had filed her nomination on the Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) ticket, withdrew from the contest in the first phase.

There are some women candidates contesting from Kashmir region as well.

All the four women candidates are educated and are focusing on local issues, including road network, health and education. While Pooja Thakur (40) is a post-graduate in political science, Meenakshi Kalra (43) has done MA and B.Ed.

A prominent face from the region, Shagun Parihar (29), has done M.Tech in electrical power systems. Youngest of them all is Meenakshi Bhagat (25) who has done B.Tech.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi had come for campaigning for BJP candidates at Doda on Saturday where Shagun anchored the event and handled the stage. Her father Ajit Parihar and uncle Anil Parihar were killed by ultras in 2018.

Meenakshi Bhagat has also become a centre of attraction as she is among the few candidates BSP has fielded.

Interestingly, Pooja Thakur of NC is also giving a tough time to her male counterparts in the constituency. Meanwhile, Meenakshi Kalra, an Independent, during her campaign has been vocal against the government for alleged absence of basic amenities for the locals.