Delhi Assembly Elections 2025: With schemes like Mahila Samman Rashi scheme by AAP, Piyari Didi Yojna by Congress, and Mahila Samriddhi Yojana by BJP, it is worth noting that the three major parties have kept women at the forefront of their electoral campaigns ahead of the February 5 Delhi polls. However, when it comes to fielding women candidates, their efforts seem to have fallen short. Out of 210 candidates contesting across 70 seats, the three parties have put forth only 25 women in total.
The BJP and Congress have each fielded nine women candidates, while AAP has put forward seven. Many of these candidates hail from political families or have strong political backgrounds.
Delhi Elections: AAP women candidates
AAP has repeated seven women candidates from the 2020 elections, including Chief Minister Atishi, Dhanwati Chandela, Bandana Kumar, Rakhi Bidlan, Parmila Tokas, and Sarita Singh. Among the new faces, Anjana Parcha is a fresh candidate, while Pooja Balyan, contesting from Uttam Nagar, is the wife of MLA Naresh Balyan, who was recently arrested for alleged links to gangster Kapil Sangwan. Initially, AAP planned to field Raj Kumari Dhillon from Hari Nagar but replaced her with MCD councillor Surinder Sethia last week.
Delhi Elections: BJP women candidates
The BJP’s women candidates include Poonam Sharma, Rekha Gupta, Deepti Indora, Shweta Saini, Urmila Kailash Gangwal, Neelam Pahlwan, Priyanka Gautam, Shikha Rai, and Kumari Rinku.
Delhi Elections: Congress women candidates
Congress, meanwhile, has fielded candidates such as Ariba Khan, daughter of former MLA Asif Mohammad Khan, and Alka Lamba, a well-known leader. Others include Aruna Kumari, Ariba Khan, Sushma Yadav, Harbani Kaur and Pushpa Singh.
In 2020, the three parties fielded 24 women candidates, with Congress leading at 10. In 2015, 19 women contested, with the BJP fielding the most at eight. Despite their limited representation, women voters make up a significant portion of Delhi’s electorate, with 71,73,952 women registered, accounting for about 43% of the total, according to the Delhi CEO.