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Congress fields highest women candidates, most kin of party leaders

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The Congress has fielded the maximum number of women candidates for the state assembly polls — 27 — and most of them are either wives, daughters or direct relatives of party's senior leaders.

Who are the candidates?
Ex-chief minister Ashok Chavan's wife Ameeta (Bhokar), ex-Congress leader BN Desai's daughter Susieben Shah (Malabar Hill), and tourism minister Sanjay Deotale's relative Asawari Deotale.(Warora).
The debutantes are Varsha Gaikwad (Dharavi), Praniti Shinde (Solapur city central), Nirmala Gavit (Igatpuri), and Annie Shekhar (Colaba), who are seeking re-election. Gaikwad is the daughter of ex-MP Eknath Gaikwad, and Praniti Shinde is the daughter of ex-Union home minister Sushilkumar Shinde, showing the party's preference for family members of their leaders than women who came up from the grass roots.

What about the other parties?
The NCP has fielded 20 women candidates, BJP 18, Shiv Sena 7 and MNS 11.

How do the numbers compare with those of previous polls?
Though the number of women pitted from the five major parties is slightly higher than the same of previous polls, as they are contesting separately, it is still less than 10% of the nominations. The Sena's tally is the poorest at 4%.
Defending the party, Sena leader Prem Shukla said, "We don't believe in fielding family members. Winnability is our main criterion in choosing a candidate. The party found only seven winnable women candidates and fielded them."

What are the reasons for fewer women candidates in the fray?
Politicians blame women leaders for not nurturing women in their constituencies. "Most never promote any woman due to insecurity. Hence, it is tough for a grass-roots woman to get a ticket unless big leaders know her personally," said a Congress leader, citing example of a senior Congress MLA, who fielded her maid in the BMC election instead of supporting any woman from her team.
A BJP leader too said no women MPs and MLAs have promoted other women, which has led to a unique situation in all parties, where they are forced to field candidates for the sake of fielding women.
"In such a scenario, women are pitted from the tough seats, which parties are likely to lose," a Congress leader said.
Observers, meanwhile, blamed parties for not taking women seriously in the poll fray.

BJP's candidates are...
Except sitting legislators Madhuri Misal from Parvati in Pune, and Pankaja Munde Palve from Parli in Beed district, the rest are new faces. Two of them — Bharti Lavhekar (Versova) and Manda Mhatre (Belapur) — have defected from the NCP.

NCP's candidates are...
The NCP has fielded Jyoti Kalani, wife of Pappu Kalani from Ulhasnagar, Rakhi Jadhav (Ghatkopar), Mahila wing chief Alpana Painter (Andheri West), and Huzefa Electricwala (Mumbadevi).

Poll catfight
In many places, women candidates are facing each other. Varsha Gaikwad of Congress is pitted against Divya Dhole of BJP in Dharavi; in Teosa, Yashomati Thakur of Congress is contesting against BJP's Nivedita Chaudhari. Praniti Shinde will take on BJP's Mohini Patki in Solapur city central.

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