Only 51 women candidates have been fielded by major political parties, including Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Indian National Lok Dal (INLD), Jannayak Janata Party (AAP) and Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) for the 2024 Haryana Assembly elections. This marks a decrease from the 2019 Assembly elections, where a total of 104 women, including Independents, were in the running. In all, about 1500 candidates have filed nominations for the State Assembly election 2024. An analysis of candidates lists shows that the main opposition party, Congress, has given tickets to 12 women candidates. As many as 11 women candidates from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (INLD-BSP) alliance have also entered the fray, followed by the ruling BJP, which has fielded 10 women nominees. The alliance partners Jannayak Janta Party-Azad Samaj Party (JJP-ASP) have given tickets to eight women out of a total of 85 candidates, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded 10 women out of the total 90 candidates. From Congress party, the women candidates include Manju Choudhary, who is contesting election from Nangal Chaudhry while Shalley Chaudhary from Naraingarh; Renu Bala from Sadhaura-SC; Vinesh Phogat from Julana; Shakuntla Khatak from Kalanaur-SC; Geeta Bhukkal from Jhajjar-SC; Pooja Chaudhary from Mulana-SC; Sumita Virk from Karnal; Manisha Sangwan from Dadri; Anita Yadav from Ateli; Pearl Chaudhary from Pataudi-SC and Parag Sharma from Ballabgarh. On the other hand, BJPs women nominees include Shakti Rani Sharma from Kalka Assembly constituency,  Santosh Sarwan from Mulana SC; Kamlesh Dhanda from Kalayat; former Lok Sabha MP Sunita Duggal from Ratia-SC; Shruti Choudhry from Tosham; Bimla Chaudhary from Pataudi-SC; Krishna Gahlawat from Rai. While Manju Hooda will challenge Congress strongman Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Gari Sampla-Kiloi segment,  Renu Dabla from Kalanaur -SC; and Kumari Arti Singh Rao from Ateli are among the fresh faces of the BJP. Both Congress and BJP have even dropped prominent women leaders in this election. BJP has dropped Minister Seema Trikha, former minister Kavita Jain, former minister Savitri Jindal and others. The Congress has dropped upcoming leader Chitra Sarwara, Mahila Congress president Sudha Bhardwaj, former CPS Sharda Rathore, and former mayor Upinderjit Kaur Walia among others. In the last Lok Sabha election, as many as 46 per cent registered women voters came out to vote in Haryana even as the total voter turnout was recorded at 64.80 per cent.     With the completion of nominations, leaders of all the political parties are holding conferences to win over the support of women voters, who in the past decade played a crucial role in deciding the fate of the elections while rising above caste lines in a patriarchal society. Free education and free transport facilities for women, subsidised LPG cylinders, monthly doles to meet kitchen expenses and the arrangement for free legal and medical consultation — these are some of the promises political parties in Haryana are making to woo women voters in the run-up to the Assembly polls. But Haryana has a poor history of fielding women in the elections. A close look in the history of Haryana assembly revealed that after Haryana was carved out of Punjab on November 1, 1966, in the last 14 Assembly elections, just 87 women have become lawmakers in the state. In the 2019 assembly elections, a total of 105 women candidates, including Independents, were in the fray. Then, the BJP fielded 12 women; Congress pitted nine women; INLD gave tickets to 15 women, and its offshoot, JJP, gave tickets to seven women in 2019. Data shows that in the past five assembly elections from 2000, as many as 47 women have become MLAs. Only four women were elected as MLAs in 2000 out of 49 in the fray, 12 in 2005 and 9 in 2009. In 2014, Haryana elected the highest number of women lawmakers at 13. In 2019, the number dropped to 9.  Chandrawati was the first woman from the Haryana region to become an MLA from Dadri in the mid-term polls in 1954. Sushma Swaraj was elected from Ambala Cantt segment in 1977, for the fifth Haryana assembly, when she was 25 years old. Swaraj again won in 1987 and on both occasions, she became the Minister. Swarajs rise in politics was witnessed after Haryana was carved out of Punjab on November 1, 1966. Talking to reporters, four-time Congress MLA and former State Education Minister Geeta Bhukkal said that in comparison to other political parties, the Congress party has given a maximum 12 tickets to Women.  Women should be empowered socially, financially, and politically. A bill granting 33 per cent reservation to women in parliament and state assemblies was passed, but it will be implemented in 2029, which is also a joke with women, she added. Sitting MLA Renu Bala, who is contesting the election on a Congress ticket from Sadhaura Assembly constituency this time said that political parties should give tickets to more and more women to ensure their participation in politics. Although the number of women is continuously increasing in the political field, there is a need to increase this number further, she added. An INLD woman leader said that women should be supported to take part in politics. The daughters of Haryana have brought laurels in the Olympics, prestigious exams and they will dominate politics in the near future, she added. Political analysts opine that Haryana is notorious for its skewed gender ratio — 916 female births per 1,000 males last year. Parties are not giving adequate representation to women candidates because their sole aim is to field candidates with maximum winnability chances. It is also seen that women candidates fielded by political parties are mostly the ones representing political families having a support base. Haryana has given 50 per cent reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions. When it comes to fielding women, no major party in Haryana has given them 33 per cent representation — a law that will be implemented in the states assembly from 2029. All the political parties including BJP, Congress, INLD and even JJP have failed on this count, analysts added.

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