The first phase of Lok Sabha elections has begun today, and this includes 25 constituencies in Andhra Pradesh. Of the total number of candidates looking to win parliamentary constituencies in the state today, only 13 are women from big parties. While 12 candidates out of these are fielded by four prominent parties including Congress, BJP, Telugu Desam Party 9TDP) and Yuvajana Shramika Rythu Congress Party (YSRCP) and one candidate is contesting independently.
While both Congress and BJP have fielded two candidates each Ramani Kumari Paddada from Vishakhapatnam and Sruthi Devi from Araku (ST) and Hansa Devineni from Anantpur and Daggubati Purandeshwari also from Vishakhapatnam respectively, TDP has fielded three women candidates, TSRCP has fielded four and Jana Jagruti restricted itself to fielding just one female candidate.
TDP's female representation comprises of DA Satyaprabha contesting from Rajampet, Panabaka Lakshmi from Tirupati (SC) and Maganti Roopa from Rajahmundry. Gaddeti Madhavi from Araku (ST), Dr. KV Satyavathi from Anakapalli, Chinta Anuradha from Amalapuram (SC) and Vanga Geetha from Kakinada are all candidates of YSRCP and Kathapalli Geetha is the only female candidate who is contesting independently from Vishakhapatnam in Andhra Pradesh.
In all, these female candidates are a mixed bag of veteran politicians and new comers, as TDP’s Lakshmi has been an MP four times and a union minister once in the past, while Purandeswari of BJP has been an MP twice and was also a former union minister. Independent candidate Geetha and Vanga Geetha of YSRCP have been MPs once in the past. Satyaprabha has been an MLA from Chittoor previously, according to a research by Political Shakti.
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While the number of female candidates fielded by prominent parties is still low, there are more chances of women candidates winning in the election that ever before, says Tara Krishnaswamy to SheThePeople.TV. “YSRCP has fielded the highest number of women candidates. They have given tickets to three women first timers and one to a former MP which is noteworthy. Other than that, there are women candidates who are sitting MPs and MLAs and have won the MP seat multiple times and that works out in favour of women’s representation in parliament,” she said.
If it is nine it would be fantastic but my feeling is that it may end up between five and seven which is also a great number for AP. They have never sent more than five women to parliament and this was when Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had not bifurcated and had 42 seats in total. So five women candidates out of 25 constituencies would be a ground breaking number.
Tara predicts that between five to nine women candidates will win from AP constituencies in the 2019 general elections, which she says would be “historic”. “If it is nine it would be fantastic but my feeling is that it may end up between five and seven which is also a great number for AP. They have never sent more than five women to parliament and this was when Telangana and Andhra Pradesh had not bifurcated and had 42 seats in total. So five women candidates out of 25 constituencies would be a ground-breaking number.”
Andhra Pradesh has previously sent five women MPs to parliament in 9th and 13th Lok Sabha before it bifurcated into Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
Pic credit: bgr.in
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