By NE NOW NEWS
Guwahati: Women voters turned out in near-equal numbers to men in the Assam Assembly elections, but their presence in the legislature remains strikingly low, with only seven women securing seats in the 126-member House.
According to the final results, women accounted for nearly half of the electorate and recorded a turnout of 86.50 per cent, slightly higher than that of men. However, this enthusiasm at the polling booths has not translated into proportional political representation, as women now make up just about 5.5 per cent of the Assembly.
Of the seven women MLAs elected, four belong to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), while one each represents the Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), Bodoland People’s Front (BPF), and Indian National Congress (Congress). This marks a marginal increase for the BJP, which had three women MLAs in 2021, while both Congress and AGP have seen a decline in their women representation compared to the previous election.
Among the prominent winners is Ajanta Neog, who retained the Golaghat seat for the second consecutive time on a BJP ticket, winning by a margin of 43,759 votes. A senior leader and one of the state’s longest-serving women legislators, Neog is expected to find a place once again in the cabinet led by Himanta Biswa Sarma.
In Mangaldoi, Nilima Devi secured victory for the BJP with 1,00,078 votes, defeating her nearest rival by 23,936 votes. Two other BJP candidates, Niso Terangpi and Rupali Langthasa, registered convincing wins from Diphu and Haflong constituencies respectively, both with margins close to 50,000 votes.
From the Opposition bench, Baby Begum emerged as the lone Congress woman MLA, winning the Dhubri seat with a massive margin of 68,661 votes. The AGP’s Diptimoyee Choudhury retained Bongaigaon, marking her second term, and is being seen as a potential ministerial contender within the ruling alliance.
Meanwhile, Shiuli Mohilary of the BPF won the Kokrajhar seat with a margin of 39,633 votes. Her victory is significant as the BPF, now an ally of the BJP, is expected to get representation in the new government, with Mohilary’s name doing the rounds for a cabinet berth.
Despite these wins, the broader picture remains concerning. Out of 722 candidates in the fray, only 59 were women, underscoring the limited opportunities given to female aspirants. The Assembly has seen a steady decline in women’s representation over the years—from 14 women MLAs in 2011 to just seven now.
The election also witnessed several high-profile defeats among women candidates. Former minister Nandita Garlosa, who recently joined Congress, suffered a major loss, while Congress MLA Nandita Das was defeated narrowly in Hajo-Sualkuchi. State Mahila Congress president Mira Borthakur lost in Dispur to BJP’s Pradyut Bordoloi.
Other notable losers included BJP candidates Krishna Saha and Madhabi Das, both of whom finished fourth in their respective constituencies. Young and highly discussed candidates such as Gyanshri Bora of Raijor Dal and AJP’s Kunki Choudhury also failed to convert early momentum into victories, while Aam Aadmi Party candidate Anurupa Dekaraja faced a decisive defeat in Guwahati Central constituency.