Srinagar: BJP’s Devyani Rana on Friday set a new milestone by winning the Nagrota assembly bypoll, making her one of four women legislators in the Jammu and Kashmir Assembly — the highest number in the region’s history.
Until now, the Assembly had elected a maximum of three women MLAs in 2008, 2014 and 2024. Women accounted for 3.4% of the House when it had 87 seats, and this dipped slightly to 3.33% after the 2022 delimitation increased the strength to 90.
Rana’s victory has now raised women’s representation to 4.44%.
The other women MLAs in the current Assembly are NC leader and Cabinet minister Sakina Masood Ittoo, veteran NC legislator Shamima Firdous, and first-time BJP MLA Shagun Parihar.
Ittoo represents D H Pora in Kulgam, Firdous is a three-time MLA from Habbakadal in Srinagar, and Parihar represents Kishtwar.
