The Women Reservation Bill may still be pending in Parliament, but 33% of the candidates from Odisha elected to the Lok Sabha are women, that too representing different sections of society.
Seven of total 21 MPs from Odisha are women. While five women have won the elections on Biju Janata Dal tickets, two belong to the BJP. They include a former IAS officer, a doctor, an engineer, a grassroots-level leader, a member of erstwhile royal family, and a homemaker.
Ever since Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik announced that his party, the BJD, would field 33% women candidates, it was expected that the representation of women would go up.
Of the seven women candidates fielded by Mr. Patnaik, five emerged victorious while of two of the three BJP women candidates won.
Read details on all candidates here