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With the special drive, however, the state’s gender ratio has increased by two, with some constituencies recording double digit hikes. For instance, the gender ratio in Bharmour increased by 18, from 930 to 948, and by 13 in Shillai, from 820 to 833, as per data shared by the CEO office.
Women account for 60% of new electors enrolled in the past six months in Himachal Pradesh, with young women aged between 18 and 29 years making up 78% of that number, leading to an improvement in the state’s electors’ gender ratio, official data show.
A total of 46,593 new electors were added since June, of which female electors were 27,721 and males 18,872. A total of 21,718 women aged 18 to 29 years were added — or 78% of the new women electors and 47% of the overall new enrolment.
Through a special drive that was launched by the Himachal Pradesh Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) Nandita Gupta’s office in June, the electors’ gender ratio increased from 981 on June 30 to 983 as on December 12. This means that there are now two more women per 1,000 men in the electoral rolls. While the state’s gender ratio is well above the national average of 948, the special drive focused on the Assembly constituencies where the gender ratio was the lowest.
Gupta told The Indian Express that special attention was given to identifying unregistered young women by using the family registers maintained by panchayat secretaries. Those young women who had moved for education or work as well as newly-wed brides who had shifted after getting married were the focus. She said the District Election Officers, who are the District Magistrates, and the Electoral Registration Officers, who are usually Sub-Divisional Magistrates or other local officials, cross-verified the electoral roll with the family registers. Then, lists of the eligible but unenrolled women were given to Booth Level Officers (BLOs), who reached out to the women to fill the enrolment forms online.
Gupta said since BLOs are not full-time employees of the Election Department, as they are usually government school teachers given the additional responsibility of voter enrolment, they may not have the latest information on the young women who have left the area or moved in after marriage. They may also not be able to meet the women who work in fields when they make their house-to-house visits.
“BLOs in that case would have to rely on the women approaching them directly for enrolment in the electoral roll, or through their families or the pradhan, etc. In Shillai
- Total Electors
- Percentage of Votes %
- Attendance in Parliament %
- Debate Participated
- Questions Asked
- MPLAD Utilization %
, for example, this problem would be compounded by some social factors like remnants of polyandry, which would result in lower population of women in the area,” Gupta said.
With the special drive, however, the state’s gender ratio has increased by two, with some constituencies recording double digit hikes. For instance, the gender ratio in Bharmour increased by 18, from 930 to 948, and by 13 in Shillai, from 820 to 833, as per data shared by the CEO office.
Damini Nath is an Assistant Editor with the national bureau of The Indian Express. She covers the housing and urban affairs and Election Commission beats. She has 11 years of experience as a reporter and sub-editor. Before joining The Indian Express in 2022, she was a reporter with The Hindu’s national bureau covering culture, social justice, housing and urban affairs and the Election Commission. ... Read More
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