Early Times Report
Jammu, Apr 10: As electioneering for two Lok Sabha seats of Jammu province is going on, one thing has become clear once again no woman is going to represent this part of Jammu and Kashmir in the Lok Sabha.
Notwithstanding their claims, main political parties have continued their ‘tradition’ of not giving mandate to women on two Lok Sabha seats of Jammu province namely Jammu-Poonch and Udhampur-Doda.
After Independence women never got any opportunity to represent Jammu region in the Parliament as main stream parties always preferred males to contest elections on two Lok Sabha segments.
Out of total 86.9 lakh voters in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir 42.55 lakh are women voters registered in Jammu and Kashmir. Despite such a huge numbers women never get due share in J&K as far as representation in the Lok Sabha in concerned. While as Jammu region never elect any female Lok Sabha member since Independence, two women were elected as Members of Parliament in the 1977 general elections in when Paravati Devi of Congress and Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah of National Conference emerged victorious on Ladakh and Srinagar parliamentary seats respectively. Begum Abdullah again elec Main political parties have continued their ‘tradition’ of not giving mandate to women on two Lok Sabha seats of Jammu province.
After Independence women never got any opportunity to represent Jammu region in the Parliament as parties always preferred males.
Out of total 86.9 lakh voters in J&K, 42.55 lakh are women voters.
Two women Paravati Devi of Congress and Begum Akbar Jehan Abdullah of NC were elected as MPs in 1977.
In the on-going Lok Sabha elections, except Mehbooba Mufti, who is PDP candidate from Anantnag Lok Sabha constituency, there is no winnable female candidate in remaining five Parliamentary constituencies of the State.
Important to mention here that as many as 86.9 lakh electorate including 3.4 lakh first-time voters are eligible to vote in the upcoming parliamentary elections in Jammu and Kashmir.
There are 11,629 polling stations with an average 747 voters per polling station will be set up in the Union Territory, where 77,290 voters are above 85 years of age, including 2886 being more than 100 years.
There are 86.9 lakh voters including 44.34 lakh men and 42.55 lakh women registered in Jammu and Kashmir. The number also included 67,400 persons with disabilities and 158 transgenders.
The electoral gender ratio of women voters has increased from 945 in 2019 to 954 in 2024.
There are 16 assembly constituencies where the electoral gender ratio is more than 1000.
While 1.56 lakh women electors are between 18-19 years, the new female voters stand at 1.35 lakhs. | 