Only 15 Women Candidates To Contest Ahead Of Assembly Polls In Mizoram

Only 15 candidates out of the 200 candidates in fray for Mizoram Assembly elections are women even though the state has more women voters. According to the final roll published in September this year, Mizoram has 7,68,181 voters in all, of which 3,74,496 are men and 3,93,685 women

The BJP, which has never won a seat in the state, has fielded six women candidates. State president JV Hluna said women in Mizoram were not traditionally interested in politics, but now they were participating and have even submitted a memoranda to all political parties to field women candidates.

The BJP is followed by the Zoram Thar, an Evangelist political party, which has fielded five women aspirants.

While the outgoing government's minister Vanlalawmpuii Chawngthu is fighting on a Congress ticket, two women are contesting for the Zoram People's Movement (ZPM). The NCP has given the ticket to only one woman.

The powerful Mizo National Front (MNF) has not fielded any woman candidate for the election.

MNF president Zoramthanga told PTI, "We fielded women candidates in 1987 and we had even a woman minister. But later in our women wing, we don't have suitable candidate."

In all, there are 201 candidates in the state which goes to poll on November 28 to elect members for the 40-member Assembly.