Out of the over 200 candidates in fray for the Mizoram Assembly elections slated to be held on November 28, 2018, only 15 women candidates would contest the polls.
Interestingly, the number of female voters in the State is more than that of the male voters.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded the highest number of six women candidates.
A report published on Sunday by Outlook quoted Mizoram BJP president JV Hluna as saying that Mizo women were not traditionally interested in politics, but now they were participating in social activities.
After BJP, the second highest women candidates fielded by any party for this Assembly poll is Zoram Thar, an Evangelist political party. Zoram Thar has fielded five women candidates.
According to the report, minister Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu is fighting on Congress ticket while two women candidates are contesting on Zoram People’s Movement (ZPM) tickets.
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) has fielded one woman to contest the Assembly polls.
Meanwhile, Mizo National Front (MNF) has fielded no woman candidate for the Assembly polls.
The report quoted MNF chief Zoramthanga as saying: “We fielded women candidates in 1987 and we had even a woman minister. But later in our women wing, we don’t have suitable candidate.”
In the polls for the 40-member Mizoram Assembly, there are total 201 candidates.
The report quoted R Lalawmpuii, an assistant professor at the Regional Institute of Paramedical and Nursing Sciences (RIPANS) as saying that women in Mizoram had never thought about the issue of women representation in the State Assembly “seriously” as it was their mindset that “politics was for men only”.
However, Lalawmpuii, who is willing to contest the polls if she gets chance, opined that “young women should join politics”.
The report also quoted Aizawl District Basketball Association general secretary Emanuel L Ralte as saying: “Every political party has a women’s front, but hardly any woman candidate.”
As per the final electoral roll published on September 27, 2018, Mizoram has total voters of 7,68,181, of which 3,74,496 are males and 3,93,685 are females.