The newly constituted 16th Assembly of Uttar Pradesh has 35 women members, that is the highest number of women MLAs in the history of the state Assembly since Independence.
A total of 582 women candidates were in the fray in the Assembly elections and 35 of them, including three Muslims, got elected to the Vidhan Sabha. Among these, maximum 20 are from the SP, seven from the BJP, three each from the Congress and BSP, one from Apna Dal and one Independent. Together, they constitute 8.6 per cent of the 403-member Assembly.
According to the Election Commission data, second largest number of women members — 31— was in the ninth Assembly constituted in 1985. Then the Congress had won maximum 269 seats of the 425 that went to the polls.
There were 26 women MLAs elected in 2002, 23 each in 2007 and 1980, 21 in 1974, 20 each in 1996 and 1962, 18 each in 1989, 1969 and 1957, 14 in 1993, 11 in 1977, 10 in 1991, six in 1967 and minimum five in the first Assembly polls held in 1951.
Among the prominent women faces elected this year are former Madhya Pradesh chief minister Uma Bharti, who won from Charkhari in Bundelkhand by defeating SP’s Kaptan Singh by 25,265 votes. UP Congress Committee president Rita Bahuguna Joshi won from Lucknow Cantonment, defeating three-time BJP MLA Suresh Chandra Tiwari by 2,753 votes. In Bundelkhand region, BJP state secretary Sadhvi Niranjan Jyoti recorded win from Hamirpur defeating BSP’s Fateh Mohammad Khan by 7,824 votes. Apna Dal general secretary Anupriya Patel defeated BSP’s Ramakant Singh by 17,583 votes in Rohaniya.
Independent candidate from Duddhi Rubi Prasad defeated SP’s Naresh Kumar by 6,039 votes. The Congress had supported Rubi after its earlier candidate Vijay Gond was disqualified. BSP’s Hemlata Chaudhary defeated Kokab Hameed Khan of the Rashtriya Lok Dal by 7,663 votes in Baghpat.
BJPs Bimla Singh Solanki defeated BSP’s Saleem Akhtar Khan by only 123 votes in Sikanderabad.
Among the three Muslim women MLAs—all elected on SP symbol—Sayeda Sadab Fatima is from Zahoorabad, Nazeeva Khan Zeenat from Patiyali, and Chaudhary Fasiha Bashir alias Gajala Lari from Rampur Karkhana.
Madhuri Verma of Congress defeated BSP’s Waris Ali in Nanpara.
