Despite the number of women electorates is higher than men in all the 12 Assembly constituencies of Bastar division, except Antagarh and Bastar, women’s representation in these seats are allegedly negligible.
In the last assembly election only seven women candidates were fielded and only two of them emerged victorious. Security deposit of two among them was forfeited.
According to sources, highest women voters were in the Konta assembly constituency of Sukma district. Out of the total 1,57,286 electorates 81,755 are women and the remaining 75,511 are male voters. The Konta Assembly seat was won by a thin margin of 192 votes, whereas, in comparison to men, 400 more women had cast their votes there.
Similarly, the number of women cast their votes was more in the Jagadalpur Assembly constituency, whereas, in Kondagaon Assembly constituency the number of male and female electorates was equal.
According to the sources, even though the number of female voters was higher in Bastar division, the number of women cast their vote in most of the constituencies was less. However, in urban areas more women used their right to franchise. In the rural areas of Bastar, women take little interest in casting votes. The distance of polling centres from the villages also responsible for less percentage of votes.
District electoral officer Ankit Anand said that camps were specially organised in all the wards of urban areas and in all panchayats in rural area to make the electorates aware of voting. In all these camps, voters have been encouraged to cast their vote. If any voter does not like the candidates, alternative of NOTA is there in the electronic voting machine (EVM), he added.