Women are face-savers for Cong, win 80 seats for BJP

NEW DELHI: Women candidates have emerged to be the face savers for the Congress in this year’s municipal elections.

As much as 56% of the Congress’ total winners were women, whereas, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) that came second by winning 48 wards, had the lowest women victors. This is despite the fact that AAP had harped a lot about fielding the maximum number of women candidates in the civic polls.

AAP gave tickets to 145 women, Congress had offered to 144 and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to 140. Out of the 272 wards in Delhi, 138 are reserved for women including those from the Scheduled Caste.

Out of 181 seats that it won, the BJP will have women councillors from 80 wards. The party will have 38 women councillors in East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) — the highest representation among the three civic bodies. EDMC is the smallest MCD in Delhi, but also faces the biggest challenge of sanitation in its area and financial crisis within the body.

For Congress’ candidate from Daryaganj, Yasmin Kidwai, her journey to victory was a cliffhanger. After leading the initial rounds, BJP’s Meeta Bhambhry lost as the observers called for recounting of votes.

“I am overwhelmed by the support of the people. I have an action plan ready for my ward and shall begin work right away,” she said. Darya Ganj has been a stronghold of Congress for many years. Kidwai comes from a family of politicians. Her grandmother is Tajdar Babar, a former MLA and a grand old dame of the Delhi Congress. Her uncle Farhad Suri is also a senior Congress leader and is the Leader of Opposition in the South Delhi Municipal Corporation. Among the BJP’s winners, Veena Virmani from Ramesh Nagar ward in North Delhi won by a margin of 7,872 votes. She defeated AAP’s Bindia who got 6,215 votes.

Wife of senior BJP leader Gulshan Virmani, who is now additional PS to Union minister of science and technology Harsh Vardhan, Virmani said she is going to be vocal about sanitation issues in her area.

AS MUCH AS 56% OF THE CONGRESS’ TOTAL WINNERS WERE WOMEN, WHEREAS, THE AAM AADMI PARTY (AAP) THAT CAME SECOND BY WINNING 48 WARDS, HAD THE LOWEST WOMEN VICTORS.