Uttar Pradesh election: Phases 1 and 2 saw the lowest percentage of women candidates

Uttar Pradesh assembly election: Rani Pakshalika Singh, the BJP candidate from Bah constituency in Agra in the first phase, and Supriya Aron, who contested the second phase election for the Samajwadi Party from Bareilly cantonment. (Images: Facebook)

Three phases of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly election have been held so far and the fourth and fifth are scheduled take place on February 23 and February 27. The Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) has analysed the data of candidates for these five phases and found that the first and second phases saw the lowest percentage of women candidates.

Out of the 615 candidates studied by ADR in the first phase of the 2022 Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh, which took place on February 10, 74 (12 percent). Congress fielded 28 percent women candidates, Aam Aadmi Party 13 percent and BJP 12 percent. From Samajwadi Party, seven percent candidates were women.

Also read : From protests to polls: Congress women candidates in UP 'raring to fight'

In the second phase on February 14 too, there were 12 percent women candidates. For this phase, ADR analysed the affidavits of 584 candidates. Congress had 37 percent women candidates, BJP nine percent, Aam Aadmi Party eight percent and Samajwadi Party six percent in the second phase.

Phase three had 96 (15 percent) women candidates, according to ADR. The association studied 623 candidates for this phase. Party wise share of women candidates in third phase is 45 percent from Congress, 16 percent from BJP, 14 percent from AAP and nine percent from SP.

In the fourth phase, there are 91 (15 percent women) candidates out of 621. The percentage of women fighting elections in the fifth phase is 13 percent.

The Congress, in its election campaign, had promised to field 40 percent women candidates the Uttar Pradesh election.

The last two phases of the Uttar Pradesh election will take place on March 3 and March 7. Votes will be counted on March 10, along with Punjab, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur.