Women at centre of Delhi poll campaign, 42 percent voters but only 12 percent get AAP, BJP, Congress tickets

The women comprise only 12 percent of the candidates. They come from a variety of backgrounds. Some have risen through the ranks of their party while others belong to known political families.

For instance, Ariba Khan who has been fielded by the Congress from Okhla constituency is daughter of a former legislator Asif Mohammad Khan. Alka Lambha, who has been fielded by Congress against Chief Minister and AAP candidate for Kalkaji, Atishi Singh, is a veteran political worker of Congress and a known face. Former MLA, Ragini Nayak, was a spokesperson of All India Congress Committee before she was again picked up to contest the assembly polls. Pushpa Singh who has been fielded from Mehrauli constituency has been a party’s foot soldier and head of its Mahila Morcha. She also served as a councillor. There are also new faces who have been given a mandate.

While, AAP has repeated seven woman candidates this time including Chief Minister Atishi, Rakhi Bidlan, Parmila Tokas, Dhanwati Chandela, Bandana Kumar and Sarita Singh. Out of these women candidates who have been repeated by AAp, Sarita Singh had lost in the previous election. Of the remaining two, Anjana Parcha is a new face while Pooja Balyan is wife of Naresh Balyan from the Uttam Nagar seat. Balyan was arrested earlier this month for alleged links with gangster Kapil Sangwan.

The AAP would have topped the list with ten women candidates but it dropped Raj Kumar Dhillon from Hari Nagar, replacing her with MCD councillor Surinder Sethia.

BJP has given ticket to Rekha Gupta from Shalimar Bagh, Poonam Sharma from Wazirpur, Deepti Indora from Matia Mahal, Urmila Kailash Gangwal Madipur, Shweta Saini Tilak Nagar, Neelam Pahlwan from Najafgarh, Shika Rai, GK, priyanka Gautam from Kondli and Kumari Rinku from Seemapuri constituencies.

The most interesting contest between two women candidates, AAP contender CM Atishi and Congress’s popular face Alka Lamba are standing against each other will contest from Kalkaji. Lamba had earlier joined AAP, contested from Chandini Chowk in 2015 and won. However, she later joined the Congress and contested the last election again from Chandini Chowk. However, she lost to AAP’s Prahalad Singh Sahweney.

In Madipur, a reserved constituency, AAP’s Rakhi Bidlan will contest against BJP’s Urmila Kailash Gangwal. Bidlan is an outgoing MLA of Mangolpuri and deputy speaker of Delhi Legislative Assembly. The party dropped her from Mangolpuri and gave her a ticket from Madipur.

Congress’s another popular face Ragini Nayakwill contest BJP’s Poonam Sharma. Neelam Pahlwan of BJP will contest against Congress Sushma Yadav in Najafgarh.

Focusing on the woman vote bank during this assembly election, all the three major parties have announced woman centric schemes.

Few weeks before the polls were announced, the AAP government approved the “Mukhyamantri Mahila Samman Yojana” to provide Rs 1000 to women every month, despite objections raised by the Finance Department. While announcing the cabinet approval, the AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal promised the people that he will increase the honorarium amount to Rs 2100 per month, if AAP returns to power.

While the Rs 1000 scheme has been notified, it is yet to be implemented.

To counter AAP’s scheme, Congress and BJP have also announced similar schemes. BJP has promised Rs 2500 per month to women in Delhi, if the party is voted to power in the national capital. BJP has introduced this scheme in other states such as Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Odhisa. They have now promised to approve the implementation of this scheme in the first cabinet meeting of the party, if comes to power in Delhi.

BJP has also announced a scheme to provide free kits to pregnant women. The party has also promised to implement central government schemes for women in Delhi.

In its bid to open its account in Delhi Legislative assembly, Congress announced “Pyari Didi Yojana” – a scheme that the party has already introduced in Karnataka after returning to power in the state.

Besides, both Congress and BJP have promised to continue the current AAP government schemes like free rides for women in public buses. AAP introduced the free commuting scheme for women in buses before the 2020 assembly polls and received a good response from the women voters.

Of the total voter percentage, about 43 percent of voters were women.

Of the total 1,55,23,597 voters in Delhi, there are 71,73,952 women voters in Delhi. The registration of women voters in Delhi have also been increasing in every voter summary revision.

According to data provided by the election commission, more than 1.67 lakh voters were added to the city’s electoral rolls between October 29, 2024, and January 6, 2025, with electors recorded at 1,55,24,858 compared to 1,53,57,529, constituting an increase of 1.09 per cent.

Of the total, women (96,426) outnumbered men (70,873), taking the total number of male voters from 82,78,772 to 83,49,645 and that of women voters from 70,77,526 to 71,73,952.

In 2020 assembly polls, a total of 24 women were fielded with congress fielding 10, AAP 9 and BJP 5. In the 2015 election, 19 woman candidates were fielded by all these three parties: BJP fielded 8, AAP 6 and Congress 5.