Rajasthan polls: Fair sex gets fairer deal

Jaipur, Nov 26 (UNI) The fair sex has got a fairer deal in the ticket distribution in Rajasthan assembly elections with a total of 149 women candidates in the fray this time as compared to 118 who contested the 2003 polls.

The ruling BJP, being spearheaded by Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, has fielded the highest number of women (32) in the state. The party had fielded 22 women candidates in the 2003 elections.

The Congress has given ticket to 23 women candidates this time as compared to 18 in the previous elections. There are a total of 200 seats in the state assembly.

In the 2003 elections, 13 of the 118 women candidates who tried their luck at the hustings were elected to the state assembly.

Interestingly, the national presidents of the women wings of both the BJP and the Congress belong to Rajasthan. While Ms Prabha Thakur is the president of the Mahila Congress, Ms Kiran Maheshwari is the chief of the Mahila Morcha of the BJP.

In fact, Ms Maheshwari is herself contesting the elections from the Rajasmand constituency.

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