By Rinkumani Pathak
GUWAHATI: Six women candidates have registered victories in the recently concluded assembly elections in Assam. It means only 4.76% legislators will represent 1,13,55,79 (49.30%) women voters in the 126-member assembly. Altogether 74 women candidates were in the fray for the Assam assembly elections. It comprised 7.82% of the total 946 candidates.
Among the six winning women candidates, three candidates are from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), two from Indian National Congress (INC) and one from Asom Gana Parishad (AGP).
AGP candidate Renupoma Rajkhowa has retained the Teok seat defeating another woman candidate — Pallabi Gogoi of Congress. While Rajkhowa managed to win with 47,555 votes, Gogoi got 46,205 votes.
Renupoma Rajkhowa, a senior leader of the AGP was elected from this constituency in 2016, 1996 and 1991.
Four-time MLA and former Congress minister Ajanta Neog claimed victory in Golaghat again, this time on a BJP ticket. Neog defeated her nearest rival Bitupan Saikia of Congress with a margin of 9,325 votes.
Neog gathered 81,651 votes in her tally. On the other hand, Saikia was voted by 72,326 voters. Ajanta Neog has been winning this seat since 2001. She held important portfolios in Tarun Gogoi-led governments.
Read: ASSAM ELECTION RESULTS: BJP’S AJANTA NEOG WINS IN GOLAGHAT
Suman Haripriya of BJP has been reelected from Hajo. Suman defeated Dulu Ahmed of Assam Jatiya Parishad (AJP) with a margin of 14,368 votes.
Nandita Garlosa of BJP registered win in Haflong (ST) against Nirmal Langthasa of Congress. Nandita, in her maiden assembly election, defeated Langthasa with a margin of 18,598 votes.
On the other hand, two women candidates from Congress registered wins in the recent elections. Congress candidate Nandita Das has been elected for the second time from Boko (SC) seat.
She won against Jyoti Prasad Das of AGP with a margin of 52,519 votes. While Nandita got 1,20,504 votes, her nearest opponent Jyoti Prasad got 67,985 votes.
Sibamoni Bora of Congress defeated another woman candidate and incumbent MLA of BJP Angoorlata Deka in Batadroba. Sibamoni netted 84,278 votes. Actor-turned-politician Angoorlata got 51,458 votes. The difference of votes between the two women candidates is 32,820.
