As many as eight women emerged victorious in the 2020 Delhi Assembly Polls, however, none of them made it to the Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s new cabinet after the Aam Aadmi Party’s clean sweep in the national capital.
The eight women candidates, Atishi Marlena, Rakhi Birla, Raj Kumari Dhillon, Preeti Tomar, Dhanwati Chandela, Parmila Tokas, Bhavna Gaur and Bandana Kumari won in the Delhi Assembly polls 2020. Only Sarita Singh from Rohtas Nagar suffered defeat.
In 2015 as well, the party had fielded six women candidates, all of whom won the election.
Atishi Marlena, who won the election from Kalkaji, has served as a key advisor to the party leader Manish Sisodia on education policies, transforming public school education in Delhi. She was projected to make it to the cabinet.
MLA Rakhi Birla from Mangolpuri constituency did not make it to the Cabinet even after bagging over 74,100 votes, with a margin of over 30,000 votes and 58 per cent of the vote share.
Rakhi was the Cabinet Ministry of Women and Child, Social Welfare and Languages, for the initial months of AAP’s first term from 2013-14. At 26, she was also the youngest ever cabinet minister of Delhi and was even called ‘giant killer’ for defeating four-time Congress MLA Raj Kumar Chouhan in 2013 Delhi polls.
Raj Kumari Dhillon, another AAP candidate, won in Hari Nagar against BJP’s Tajinder Pal Singh Bagga by a margin of more than 20,100 votes.
Preeti Tomar (Tri Nagar), Dhanwati Chandela (Rajouri Nagar), Pramila Tokas (RK Puram), Bhavna Gaur (Palam), and Bandana Kumari (Shalimar Bagh), were other female winning MLA’s in the fray.
Arvind Kejriwal sworn-in as Chief Minister of Delhi, on September 16. Besides him, Manish Sisodia, Satyender Jain, Gopal Rai, Kailash Gehlot, Imran Hussain, and Rajendra Gautamas took oath as the ministers in Delhi.
AAP achieved a landslide victory in the Assembly elections with a clear majority of 62 seats out of 70. However, the party whose poll campaigns mainly focused on women’s issues- free bus rides for women, safety etc, did not give any space to women candidates in its cabinet.
While AAP won hearts for fielding as many as nine women candidates, it is being criticised for its all men cabinet.
Several Twitterati took to the platform, targetting the hypocrisy of the party that used women’s candidates to woo women voters, but not give them portfolios.
This is disappointing, @ArvindKejriwal @msisodia. Especially with @AtishiAAP and others like her available. https://t.co/9idhBnRGoP
â Karuna Nundy (@karunanundy) February 14, 2020
AAP is strange. Atishi is one of their recognizable faces. And no women in the cabinet. Shame really!
â Sangita (@Sanginamby) February 14, 2020
As @ArvindKejriwal ji used to claim- distribution of ministries on merits. Don’t they have any meritorious #women or they don’t believe #women do have merits. @AamAadmiParty @FeminismInIndia @IndiaMeToo @MahilaCongress https://t.co/B1JRZe11rx
â Dr.Chayanika Uniyal (@dr_chayanika) February 14, 2020
Also Read: Time For Women In Power! 8 Out Of 9 Female Candidates From AAP Win Delhi Assembly Polls
