Women, 48 per cent of Himachal Pradesh’s total electorate, are poised to play a key role in determining how to turn the tide in the coming elections. Their clout over the final results is clear that political parties are ready to garner support in villages and towns.
With 27.3 lakh women out of the total 55.9 lakh voters in the state, the candidates are making every effort to convey their message to the women voters. If the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is relying on the Centre’s women-centric schemes, be it the Ujjwala scheme or the Ayushman Bharat launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Congress has made its big electoral debut of providing a monthly allowance of Rs 1,500 to every woman. It has been met with promise. Above 18 years. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), which is contesting this time too, has also promised an allowance of Rs 1,000 per month for women.
call for women empowerment
Himachal’s 68 assembly seats may have only 15 women candidates contesting, but this has not affected the fervent appeal of political parties for gender empowerment in their election speeches.
“We have promised Rs 1,500 per month to help every woman become financially stable. Even if the new road will be of gold, even then people will not make any difference. Unlike other parties, our focus is mainly on improving livelihoods through employment,” says Congress candidate Sudhir Sharma, as he addresses a gathering of women voters in Jhol village, even in Gujarat. Quoting Amul’s model for women to get their point across.
With a literacy rate of 73.5 per cent, women are believed to vote freely in Himachal where other family members are voting, and this could be a deciding factor as the state goes to polls on November 12. In fact, a higher number of women voted than men in the last state elections in 2017. The turnout among women was much higher at 78 per cent, while it was only 70 per cent among men.
In Kangra, BJP candidate Pawan Kajal is calling on PM Modi in his speeches as he urged women voters to support the party that brought their children home safely from war-torn Ukraine. “Under PM Modi, your children are safe. Your family will get free hospital treatment under Himcare, Ayushman Bharat, and free LPG connections and subsidized electricity are already being provided,” he says.
Outrage against rising prices
With most government decisions having a direct impact on women, they are clearly the center-stage of each party’s election campaign, and speaking their mind. ,Vote this war a naiSantosh, 45, of Kangra’s Kachiyari village says angrily. “Do you know how expensive everything is now? LPG cylinders cost around Rs 1,200, and the electricity bill is higher than ever. All this while our children are still sitting at home without jobs. So me Why should you vote?”
Anger over rising prices is evident across villages and the lack of employment opportunities for youth, especially after the pandemic, has further angered women voters. Sitting at a public meeting in Kangra, 38-year-old Neelam quips: “Times have changed now and we cannot be taken along for the ride. We can’t say that, but most of us have a fair understanding of who to vote for.”
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