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Journalism of Courage
The sole woman MLA in the new Himachal Pradesh Assembly, Reena Kashyap attributes her win to “women empowerment policies by the BJP”, and says her work has “just begun”.
Kashyap won from Pachhad seat, which was the only Himachal constituency with two women candidates in the fray. She defeated former BJP leader Dayal Pyari, who was fighting on a Congress ticket, by 3,857 votes.
“I have always believed that women have an important role to play in politics,” Kashyap told The Indian Express. “The BJP government in the last five years offered many schemes related to women, which have resonated on the ground. It is an important victory for not just me but the constituency as well.”
Of the total 27.36 lakh women voters in the state, 21.01 lakh exercised their turnout — a record – higher than the figure for men at 20.20 lakh. There were 24 women candidates in total in the fray.
As for the challenge of making her presence felt in the all-male Assembly, Kashyap said, “I will raise my voice. There are other BJP members in the House, and there will be support. As on the ground, this will be reflected in the House as well. I am not afraid of anything,” Kashyap said.”
Pachhad is considered a BJP stronghold, with party district president Suresh Kashyap hailing from the area and winning the seat the last two times. After he became an MP in 2019, zila parishad member Dayal Pyari was seen as the frontrunner to get a ticket for the Pachhad by-election, held in 2019. However, she was denied the ticket, with Suresh Kashyap and then chief minister Jai Ram Thakur seen as having a hand in the matter.
When the BJP picked Reena Kashyap, also a zila parishad member, for the Pachhad bypoll, Dayal Pyari contested as an Independent. But Kashyap won.
In the recent elections, Kashyap interacted with local SC communities to convince them that their rights would not be affected by the ST status promised to the Hattees by the BJP govenrment.
