In a first, five women elected to the 60-member Manipur Assembly

Five women out of 60 members have been elected in Manipur assembly election. Seventeen women were in the fray out of 265 candidates and showed greater efficiency than their male counterparts. At the same time, only 22% of male candidates won a seat compared to 29% of women. The 12th Manipur Legislative Assembly election result declared on Thursday, March 10, features three women candidates from the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and two from other parties.

About these women

Out of the five women candidates who won seats, three are from the BJP: former social welfare minister and sitting MLA Nemcha Kipgen, SS Olish from Chandel and Soraisam Kebi from Naoriya Pakhanglakpa. The other two are I Nalini Devi of National People’s Party and Kimneo Haokip Hangshing of Kuki People’s Alliance (KPA) from Oinam and Saikul seats, respectively,

SS Olish created history by winning her seat in Chandel with a massive margin of 27,341 votes. She won this victory against her lone rival in the constituency, Naga People’s Front’s Langhu Paulhring Anal.

Nemcha, a sitting MLA, won against Janata Dal-United (JDU) rival Soshim Gurung by a margin of 5396 votes. Kimneo from the KPA won Saikul by a margin of 1,249 votes. Soraisam Kebi Devi won her seat in Naoriya Pakhanglakpa by a margin of 531 votes. In comparison, I Nalini Devi won her seat in Oinam by a very narrow margin of only 42 votes.

On their plans for constituencies

 “I feel so happy and thank the people of the constituency for the election. After all, women participation in such platforms is the need of the hour to address women related issues,” Hindustan Times quoted the thirty-two-year-old Kebi Devi, as saying, in the house of sixty members. She claimed to address women-related issues to be one of her topmost priorities.

The Numbers

Congress had fielded a total of four women candidates, greater than that of the BJP, which fielded three. However, all three of the BJP’s women candidates won, whereas none from the Congress party could. Forty-three constituencies saw no women candidates being fielded at all. A total of 17 women candidates were given party seats, which is an improvement. In 2017, 11 women candidates contested the elections out of a total of 266 candidates, while this time, the number was 17 out of 265.

Even though an apparent increase has been observed in the numbers of women contesting elections, there is still a lot more work that requires to be done. It is so because women voters (10,57,336) outnumber men (9,96,627) in Manipur. Yet, despite that, only five women could win a majority in their constituencies.

A history of women in power in Manipur

The late Hangmila Shaiza was the first woman legislator in the state. The wife of late Yangmasho Shaiza, the fourth Chief Minister of the state, she won from the Ukhrul Assembly constituency in 1990. Late Keisham Apabi Devi and Wahengbam Leima Devi in 2000 are other significant victories for the women of Manipur. The state has had less than ten female legislators so far.