Only 3 per cent women get tickets for J-K Assembly polls

Only three per cent of women candidates have been allotted tickets in Jammu and Kashmir Assembly polls with ruling National Conference giving maximum number of five to the fairer sex.

Among the major parties, ruling National Conference has allotted the maximum number of seats to women by nominating five women candidates, including three sitting MLAs, in the list of 84 announced by the party for the elections to the 87-member House.

However, it is still miles away from the 33 per cent reservation for women that is under consideration at the national level for several years now.

Of the five NC candidates, Social Welfare Minister Sakina Ittoo (Noorabad seat) and Chairperson of State Commission for Women Shameema Firdous (Habbakadal seat) have a good chance of winning another term in the state assembly.

However, it will not be easy for them this time. Itoo will be facing tough competition from PDP's Abdul Majid Padder. In the Lok Sabha polls, the PDP candidate had taken a slender lead over the NC candidate from the Noorabad Segment.

While Firdous did not face Ittoo's situation in the LS polls, BJP's focus on minority Kashmiri Pandit votes in the assembly polls will pose a stern test for her.
The constituency has a record of extremely low voter turn out with 11.70 per cent in 2008 Assembly polls and just 3.08 per cent in 2002 polls.

The constituency has very high percentage of migrant Kashmiri Pandit voters.