Guwahati: Despite the higher literacy rate among the women, the frontier state of Nagaland has never elected a woman to its assembly. However, this time five women candidates are trying their luck for February 27 elections.
Of the 227 candidates who are in the fray, the National People’s Party has fielded two women candidates — Wedie-U Kronu and Dr K. Mangyangpula, an alternative medicine practitioner while Nationalistic Democratic Progressive Party and the BJP have fielded one woman candidate each, Awan Konyak, daughter of four-time MLA Nyeiwang Konyak, and Rakhila. The fifth woman, Rekha Rose, an independent candidate.
The only woman parliamentarian from the state was Rano M. Shaiza who was elected to Lok Sabha in 1977. Since 1963, only 30 women have contested the Assembly polls.
