Female Candidates Surge: 41 Women Contest in J&K Assembly Elections, Three Elected

In the recent Jammu and Kashmir assembly elections, three women were elected among the 90 members, marking a significant moment after a decade-long hiatus in polling. The National Conference (NC) and Congress alliance secured 48 seats, but only two of the 30 Hindu candidates from the bloc emerged victorious.

The elected women include Shagun Parihar from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and Shamima Firdous and Sakina Itoo from the National Conference. Their representation accounts for only 3.33 percent of the assembly, highlighting the need for greater female participation in politics.

In total, 41 women contested in these elections, an increase from 24 candidates in 2014.

Election Results Overview

– National Conference (NC) and Indian National Congress (INC): 48 seats won, with only two Hindu candidates successful out of the 30 fielded.
– Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP): 29 seats secured, comprising 28 Hindu and one Sikh member, with no wins among their Muslim candidates, including two former ministers.

Profiles of the Elected Women

Shagun Parihar

Shagun Parihar, representing the BJP, won the Kishtwar constituency by 521 votes, defeating National Conference candidate Sajjad Ahmad Kichloo. At just 29, she is a research scholar with an MTech in electrical power systems, and was preparing for a PhD and the J&K Public Service Commission exams when nominated for the election. Tragically, her father, Ajit Parihar, and brother, Anil, who was then the BJP state secretary, were killed by terrorists in 2018.

Shamima Firdous

Shamima Firdous, a senior leader in the National Conference and the party’s women’s wing president, won her seat in Habbakadal by a significant margin of 9,538 votes against BJP’s Ashok Kumar Bhat. This victory brings her back to a position she previously held from 2008 to 2014. Since her party lost power in 2014, Firdous has worked diligently to mobilize women party workers in Srinagar and across the Valley, strengthening the party’s support base.

Sakina Itoo

Sakina Itoo, another senior National Conference leader and former minister, secured her seat from the DH Pora assembly segment in Kulgam district with 36,623 votes, winning by an impressive 17,449 votes over her nearest rival from the Peoples Democratic Party. With extensive experience, Itoo has held various ministerial roles, including social welfare, education, and tourism. She made history in 1996 as the youngest member of the Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly at the age of 26.