Of the 2,560 posts, as many as 1,085 are reserved for women. Not only that, out of 7,14,507 voters, women number 3,51,917.

Thus, women are set to have a considerable say in the elections to the local rural bodies, in the year which witnessed the introduction of Women’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament.

There are 156 Gram Panchayats in the district. The categorywise reservation of seats for women is as follows: Scheduled Caste - 306, Scheduled Tribe - 162, Backward Class ‘A’ group - 311, Backward Class ‘B’ group - 15, General Category - 291.

There are 254 seats reserved for women in Kolar taluk, 190 in Malur taluk, 364 in Bangarpet taluk, 204 in Mulbagal taluk and 171 in Srinivaspur taluk. Thus, Bangarpet will have the highest number of women representatives in Gram Panchayats.

Women voters will have a significant say in electing the candidates as well. They constitute nearly 50 pc of the total electorate. Bangarpet taluk has the highest number of women voters. Thus, the taluk has scores over others in terms of reservation of seats and number of women voters as well.

While election of women from reserved constituencies is a foregone conclusion, the fair sex will play a greater role in election of Gram Panchayat members in other unreserved constituencies as well.

Thus, it had become inevitable for the candidates to woo women voters. Thus, women have become a constituency which the contestants cannot overlook.

Enticement

Gram Panchayat elections although are fought without political affiliations, political parties on the ground still have a say in the polls. With women yielding more power, political parties too have to change their strategy in wooing voters.

“We cannot afford to neglect women voters. We have to distribute sarees and earrings rather than household articles this time,” a leader of a political party said.