Aizawl, Dec 5: For the first time three women candidates of Mizoram scripted history on Monday by winning their respective seats in the 40-member state assembly.
Zoram People’s Movement (ZMP) candidate Lalrinpuii won from Lunglei East constituency and her party colleague and television presenter Baryl Vanneihsangi elected from Aizawi South-3 seat while Pravo Chakma of the ruling Mizo National Front (MNF) won from West Tuipui seat.
Lalrinpuii and Chakma defeated their male Congress candidates while Baryl Vanneihsangi beat MNF opponent.
With Christian dominated (87 per cent) Mizo society being traditionally followed by the patriarchal culture, Mizoram’s main political parties in most elections hardly had nominated women candidates in the Lok Sabha and assembly elections.
In the November 7 Mizoram assembly elections, 174 candidates, including 16 women fought the polls while in the last Assembly elections in 2018, a total of 209 candidates, including 18 women, contested the elections
.
In the 2013 assembly polls, 136 candidates including six women aspirants contested the polls.
None of the women candidates in 2018 and 2013 polls won their seats.
In all 4,39,026 women voters outnumbered the male electorate of 4,13,062 in the electoral rolls, which were published on October 4 after several month-long special summary revision of voters’ list with reference to October 1 as the qualifying date for inclusion of names.
