Ranchi — The participation of women, or “half of the population,” in Jharkhand’s electoral politics has been gradually increasing with each election. This time, a record 128 women are contesting across the state’s 81 assembly seats, the highest number of female candidates in the state’s history.

In comparison, there were 127 women candidates in the previous election in 2019. Earlier elections saw 111 female candidates in 2014, 107 in 2009, and 94 in 2005.

The NDA and the INDIA bloc have fielded a total of 27 women candidates this year. A total of 1,211 candidates are contesting in this election, slightly fewer than the 1,216 candidates in 2019. On average, each assembly seat has around 14 to 15 candidates vying for it.

Region-wise, the Jamshedpur West constituency has the highest number of candidates at 28, while the Deoghar seat has the fewest, with just eight candidates. The number of female voters in the state has also seen consistent growth.

In the 2019 assembly elections, there were 914 female voters for every 1,000 male voters. This year, the number has increased to 981 women per 1,000 male voters. After the recent Lok Sabha elections, Jharkhand recorded a notable increase in the number and proportion of female voters. During the May-June Lok Sabha polls, there were 963 female voters for every 1,000 male voters, a figure that has now risen by 18 more women per thousand. Currently, Jharkhand has 13.1 million male voters and 12.9 million female voters.

Among the 81 assembly seats, 32 have more female voters than male voters. These seats include Borio, Barhait, Littipara, Pakur, Maheshpur, Shikaripara, Nala, Jamtara, Ghatsila, Potka, Jugsalai, Seraikela, Kharsawan, Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jagannathpur, Manoharpur, Chakradharpur, Tamar, Khijri, Hatia, Kanke, Mandar, Torpa, Khunti, Sisai, Gumla, Bishunpur, Simdega, Kolebira, Lohardaga, and Manika.

Polling in Jharkhand will be conducted in two phases on November 13 and 20, with vote counting scheduled for November 23.

Disclaimer: This news is sourced from IANS News Feed. The news agency bears responsibility for its accuracy and authenticity.