The representation of women among candidates of the Congress party for the Kerala Assembly elections remains as dismal as five years ago, an analysis of the names declared so far showed.
Of the 95 seats that the party is fighting this time, it will have its nominees in 92 seats while it plans to support Independents in the three remaining seats. Of the total 92 names, only nine are women, less than 10%.
In the 2021 Assembly elections, the Congress had fielded 10 women, all of whom lost that election. It was only in 2022 that the party got a woman MLA elected in the form of Uma Thomas through a bye-election in Thrikkakara.
Some of the prominent women names this time include Thomas from Thrikkakara, Shanimol Usman from Aroor, former MP Ramya Haridas from Chirayankeezhu and Bindu Krishna from Kollam.
The women’s representation in the UDF — the coalition it leads — is below par too. While the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML) has fielded two women out of 27, the RMP has fielded one woman in the only seat it contests. Parties like the RSP, Kerala Congress and CMP which fights 5, 8 and 1 seat respectively have not fielded any women this time. The representation in the UDF stands at a measly 12 out of 140, just 8%.
In the 2021 elections, the number of women candidates in the UDF was the same — 12. Only one of them won that year.
Shama Mohamed, national spokesperson of the Congress and a native of Kerala, publicly registered her complaint.
“Denied but not defeated. I respectfully urge my leader Rahul Gandhi ji who I adore, respect and admire to help the Congress women of Kerala. Out of the 92 tickets, only 9 tickets were given to women. In Lok Sabha of 2024, only 1 woman was given out of the 16 tickets distributed. And if the woman happens to be talented, the situation is dire. Very, very sad,” Mohammed wrote on social platform ‘X’.
Mohamed was among the contenders for the Kannur Assembly constituency, a seat that former KPCC chief K Sudhakaran lobbied hard for himself, but eventually went to former mayor TO Mohanan.
In the CPM-led LDF camp and the BJP-led NDA, the numbers are marginally higher, though both coalitions are yet to declare their candidates in all the seats.
Of the 81 CPI(M) candidates who are fighting on the party symbol of hammer-sickle-star, 12 are women, around 14%. The CPI has declared 5 women in the 25 seats it is fighting, 20%. Of the 134 names declared so far by the LDF, 18 are women, around 13%.
Within the NDA, the BJP, which has declared names on 86 seats so far, has fielded 13 women, around 15%. The BDJS has fielded 1 woman out of 23 names and Twenty-20 party three out of the 19 it has declared so far. The NDA’s tally of women candidates touched 17 out of 128 seats so far, around 13%.
