In Pithoragarh, women voters to play a critical role in deciding fate of candidates

Pithoragarh: In Pithoragarh, where women voters outnumber their male counterparts in three out of four constituencies, the fate of candidates in fray for assembly elections would largely depend on their vote pattern.

According to the district election commission data, released last year, women voters are more than men electors in Dharchula, Didihat and Pithoragarh constituencies. Only the Scheduled Caste-reserved constituency of Gangolihat has more men voters (52,595) than women (49,592) in the district. In all, the total number of registered women voters in Pithoragarh is 1,90,736, just 108 short of 1,90,844 men electors.

Despite this, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has fielded only one woman candidate from the district -- Chandra Pant from Pithoragarh -- this time. In the 2017 legislative elections, the party had given ticket to two women candidates -- Geeta Gangola (Gangolihat) and Chandra Pant (Pithoragarh) -- and both of them won from their seats.

Congress, on the other hand, is yet to announce its candidates from the district.

According to social worker and political observer Prakash Pande, “In all four constituencies, women voters have the potential to turn the tide of the election. However, it may not be right to presume that women candidates receive more support from women voters. There are many other factors that affect their voting preference.”

Earlier this month, the Election Commission had released a revised Uttarakhand voter list. According to it, the hill state has a total of 81.43 lakh voters, including 42.24 lakh men and 39.19 lakh women voters.

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