The Women candidates have a dream run in the last Lok Sabha Elections in 2009. Will their success stort repeat this general elections too?
Congress president Sonia Gandhi tops the list of best performing women candidates in the 2009 general elections, bagging 72.23 per cent of total votes polled in Rae Bareli. She is followed by the NCP’s Supriya Sule, with 66.46 per cent of total votes polled in Baramati.
Women candidates in Gujarat also fared better in 2009. BJP candidates Jat Poonamben (50.58 per cent), Darshana Vikram Jardosh (52.45 per cent) and Patel Jayshreeben Kanubhai won with good margins. Congress’ Prabha Kishore Tavid ( 46.89 per cent) and Nilaben Virjibhai Thummar (40.10 per cent) also performed well.
Interestingly, in the highly literate Kerala, women candidates didn’t fare better. CPM’s Sindhu Joy and Satheedevi lost despite securing more than 43 per cent of total votes polled in Ernakulam and Vadakara, respectively. In Kasargod, Congress candidate Shahida Kamal also lost the election. Despite securing more than 30 per cent of total votes polled, Vairam Tamilarasi (ADMK), Gayathri (DMK) and Sarubala Thondaiman (Congress) lost in Tamil Nadu. However, Helen Davidson (DMK) won with a good margin.
In Andhra Pradesh, TRS candidate Vijaya Shanthi secured 36.67 per cent of total votes polled in Medak and won. Similarly, Congress candidates Botsa Jhansi Lakshmi ( 40.36 per cent), Daggubati Purandeshwari ( 36.43 per cent), Panabaka Lakshmi (44.15 per cent) also won. However, firebrand Renuka Chowdhury secured 33.36 per cent of total votes polled in Khammam, but lost.
In Assam, BJP’s Bijoya Chakvravarty won after securing 44.74 per cent of total votes polled in Gauhati. In Lakhimpur, Congress’ Ranee Neerah (38.73 per cent) also won. In Bihar, Rama Devi (BJP) won from Sheohar, bagging 40.80 per cent of total votes polled. Congress candidate Meira Kumar and JD(U)’s Aswamedh Devi and Meena Singh won with a little more than 30 per cent of total votes polled in their constituencies. In Haryana, Congress candidate Shruti Choudhry won with 35.03 per cent of total votes polled in Bhiwani. In Karnataka, BJP’s J Shanta won with 46.72 per cent of total votes polled in Bellary. But, despite securing 41.63 per cent of votes Margaret Alwa lost from Uttara Kannada.
In Madhya Pradesh, BJP’s Yasodhara Raje (43.19 per cent) and Sumitra Mahajan (48.77 per cent), and Congress candidates Meenakshi Natrajan (48.80 per cent) and Rajesh Nandini Singh (41.86 per cent) fared better and won the elections.
In Maharastra, Bhavana Gawali (SS), Priya Dutt (Congress) and Supriya Sule (NCP) secured comfortable victory. NCP’s Agata Sangma fared better in Meghalaya and won the election.
In Uttar Pradesh, BSP candidates Tabassum Begum, Rajkumari Chauhan and Seema Upadyay, SP’s Jayaprada, RLD’s Sarika Singh, BJP’s Menaka Gandhi and Congress’ Annu Tandon won with good margins.
In West Bengal, Congress candidates Deepadas Munshi and Mausam Noor and TMC’s Kakoli Ghosh, Mamata Banerjee and Ratna De won with good margins.