When Himachal Pradesh held its second state assembly elections in 1967, women contested for the first time in the state. Of the 267 contestants, only two were women. This week, when Himachal Pradesh goes to polls on Thursday, only 19 women will battle for a spot in the state legislative assembly. Like other Indian states, Himachal Pradesh has a history of having few female contestants. But you have to go all the way back to 1993 to find an election in which the percentage of women candidates was lower than 5.6%.

Source: Hindustan Times November 08, 2017 07:52 UTC