Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: Women voters outnumber men in 214 of the 234 constituencies in Tamil Nadu. No wonder political parties have not spared any effort to garner their support, ranging from home appliances to monthly doles. However, this care and attention do not seem to extend to actual empowerment by ensuring electoral representation, as 46 seats do not have a single woman candidate in the fray.
According to data from the Election Commission, of the 4,023 candidates contesting the April 23 Assembly election, 3,579 are men, 443 are women, and one candidate belongs to the third gender, contesting from Villivakkam. Karur has the highest number of candidates overall and also the highest number of male contestants, at 73.
Rare exception
In contrast, Arani constituency has the highest number of women candidates, 9, making it a rare exception in an otherwise male-dominated electoral landscape. In all, 46 constituencies have no women candidates, while 63 have only one woman candidate each. Around 60 constituencies have just two women candidates. Some highprofile constituencies have relatively better representation.
Karur and Vriddhachalam, where leaders including MR Vijayabhaskar of AIADMK and Premalatha Vijayakanth of Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam, are contesting, respectively, have five to six women candidates each.
The DMK-led Secular Progressive Alliance has nominated 25 women candidates, including 19 by the DMK, 2 each by the Congress and the VCK, and 1 each by the CPM and DMDK.
The AIADMK-led National Democratic Alliance has fielded 28 women candidates, including 20 by the AIADMK, 5 by the BJP, and 3 by the PMK.
Actor Vijay’s Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam has fielded 23 women candidates. In stark contrast is Seeman’s Naam Tamilar Katchi, which has 50 per cent women candidates as its stated policy. This time, the party has nominated 116 women candidates and one trans woman. Incidentally, two reserved constituencies, Madurantakam (SC) and Dharapuram (SC), will witness all-woman contests, with the four main fronts fielding women candidates.
Zero presence
The absence of women candidates spans several constituencies across the State, including Gummidipoondi, Tiruttani, Tiruvallur, Harbour, and Virugambakkam in and around the State capital. In Madurai, none of the four seats – East, West, North, Central – has woman candidates.
