Women members make up only 6.66 per cent of 60-member Arunachal Assembly

Itanagar : Only 4 women have been elected to the Arunachal Pradesh Assembly in the April 19, 2024 poll, one more than the previous election, and comprise 6.66 per cent of its 60 members.

According to Election Commission officials, eight women contested the elections and four women, all of the ruling BJP, won.

Of the four, three are wives of former MLAs.

In the 2019 Assembly polls, 11 women contested the elections and three got elected. Despite women (4,54,256) outnumbering men (4,38,433) in the 8,92,694-strong electorate, very few women get a chance to become lawmakers in Arunachal Pradesh, where women have always played a leading role in all societal issues.

Of the women winners, Dasanglu Pul, wife of late Chief Minister Kalikho Pul, retained her Hayuliang seat for the third consecutive term. However, she was among the ten BJP candidates, including Chief Minister Pema Khandu, who were elected unopposed. She had first won a by-election in 2016 after her husband committed suicide in August that year.

Tsering Lhamu, wife of former MLA Jambey Tashi, was elected from the Lumla seat for the second term, and Chakat Aboh, wife of late former MLA Tirong Aboh, won the Khonsa West seat for the second term. Tirong Aboh was assassinated by militants on May 21, 2019, a day before the declaration of results of the last Assembly polls.

Newcomer Nyabi Jini Dirchi was elected from Basar constituency defeating sitting National People’s Party (NPP) MLA Gokar Basar by a margin of 1,791 votes.

A total of 20 first-timers tasted electoral success in the Assembly polls. Of them, 11 are from the ruling BJP, four from the National People's Party, two each from the People's Party of Arunachal (PPA) and Ajit Pawar-led Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) and one independent.