Women voters outnumber men in AP

Women voters in Andhra Pradesh are likely to play a decisive role in deciding the electoral fortunes of candidates of various political parties at the hustings as they outnumbered men voters.

Of the total electorate of 5,10,33,003 registered till January this year, the women voters are 2,57,40,128 in the State, an increase of over 8.79 lakh women voters compared to the figures of 1999 elections.

There is an increase of over 4.5 lakh women voters against 2,52,89,905 men voters this time.

The political parties including ruling TDP and Congress are vying to woo the women voters with their welfare programmes promised in their election manifestoes.

While the chief minister and TDP supremo N Chandrababu Naidu was confident to garner support of women voters as he is the instrumental in setting up lakhs of women self-help groups to improve the living condition of women folk in rural areas. The opposition Congress party also trying to woo the women voters promising more funds for women groups.

Secunderabad Parliamentary constituency, where union minister Bandaru Dattareya is trying his luck for electoral hatrick has highest number of 8,80,512 women voters followed by Hyderabad (862463) Siddipet (SC) 8,43,041, Nalgonda (788179) and Visakhapatnam (759223).

In 21 Lok Sabha constituencies which are going to polls in first phase of elections on April 20, the ruling TDP fielded two women candidates including a sitting MP in the dissolved Lok Sabha Suguna Kumari from Peddapalli (reserved) seat.

The Congress gave tickets to three women candidates including party's fire brand leader Renuka Chowdhary who was represented from Khammam in the dissolved Lok Sabha. BJP, which has seat adjustment with TDP and Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS), did not file any women candidates from any of the Lok Sabha constituencies in the first phase.

While TDP fielded Phaniswaramma from Bhadrachalam and Suguna kumari from Peddapalli, the women candidates of Congress are: Renuka Chowdhary (Khammam), B Jhansi (Bobbili) and K Kriparani (Srikakulam) who was pitted against former TDP leader K Yerram Naidu.