The number of women legislators in the 126-member Assam Assembly has reduced to six this time.
In the 2016 Assembly elections, eight women candidates were elected.
In all 74 women candidates (7.8 per cent) among the total of 946 aspirants contested the recently held three-phase Assam Assembly elections and only six of them entered into the Assembly — three are of the ruling BJP, one of Asom Gana Parishad (AGP) and two of opposition Congress.
In the previous Assam Assembly elections in 2016, 91 women candidates were in the fray with eight of them elected to the 126-member House while in 2011, 85 women had tried their electoral fate and 14, highest so far in the House, secured the success.
According to the Election Commission’s data, 7.82 per cent women candidates of the total 946 candidates fought the electoral battle but 4.76 per cent female lawmakers would represent the state in the 126-member House.
Four-time MLA and former Congress minister Ajanta Neog, 57, who weeks before the election joined the BJP, retained her Golaghat seat defeating her nearest rival Bitupan Saikia of Congress by a margin of 9,325 votes.
Neog is the widow of former Congress leader Nagen Neog who was killed along with eight others by the outlawed United Liberation Front of Asom in 1996.
BJP candidate Suman Haripriya, 52, daughter of former Union Minister and BJP MP Bijaya Chakraborty, re-elected from Hajo beating Dulu Ahmed of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) by a margin of 14,368 votes.
Another BJP nominee Nandita Garlosa, 43, in her maiden electoral fight won from Haflong (ST) defeating Congress candidate Nirmal Langthasa by a margin of 18,598 votes.
BJP’s ally AGP’s Renupama Rajkhowa, 66, won from Teok seat by defeating another woman candidate Pallabi Gogoi of Congress by a margin of 1,350 votes.
Congress candidates Nandita Das, 51, retained the Boko (SC) seat for second time.
Congress candidate Sibamoni Bora, 60, daughter of former legislator Kiran Bora won the Batadroba seat defeating her nearest rival and BJP candidate Angoorlata Deka by a margin of 32,820 votes respectively.
In a major setback, Assam’s longest-serving woman legislator Pramila Rani Brahma of the Bodoland People’s Front (BPF) lost the Kokrajhar East seat by 20,095 votes.