New Delhi: Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal tweeted on Saturday morning, asking women to come out in large numbers and vote in the Delhi assembly elections. A line in his tweet, however, rubbed many the wrong way and was taken up by the BJP post-haste.
वोट डालने ज़रूर जाइये
सभी महिलाओं से ख़ास अपील – जैसे आप घर की ज़िम्मेदारी उठाती हैं, वैसे ही मुल्क और दिल्ली की ज़िम्मेदारी भी आपके कंधों पर है। आप सभी महिलायें वोट डालने ज़रूर जायें और अपने घर के पुरुषों को भी ले जायें। पुरुषों से चर्चा ज़रूर करें कि किसे वोट देना सही रहेगा
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 8, 2020
“Definitely go and vote. A special appeal to all women, just as you bear the responsibility of the home, the responsibility of the country and Delhi is with you. All of you ladies must go to vote and also take the men of your house along with you. Make sure to discuss with men who it is right to vote for,” tweeted Kejriwal shortly before 8 am when polling commenced.
BJP’s Nupur Sharma was quick to retort that women need not discuss whom to vote for with the men in the house.
किसी भी सशक्त महिला को पुरुष से “चर्चा” करने की या पूछने की ज़रूरत नहीं कि किसको वोट देना चाहिए। चाहे घर की ज़िम्मेदारी हो या ऑफ़िस का काम – दोनो हम बखूबी निभा सकती हैं। कृपया #AntiAuratParty की पितृपक्ष मानसिकता दिल्लीवालों पे ना थोपें। 🙏#DelhiElection#भगवा_कर_दो_दिल्ली_को https://t.co/AS43q4xqPE
— Nupur Sharma (@NupurSharmaBJP) February 8, 2020
Also read: Delhi Voting: Leaders Walk the Fine Line, Appeal to Voters Through Social Media
Smriti Irani too remarked as to why Kejriwal didn’t consider women capable enough to decide whom to vote for.
आप क्या महिलाओं को इतना सक्षम नहीं समझते की वे स्वयं निर्धारित कर सके किसे वोट देना है ? #महिलाविरोधीकेजरीवाल https://t.co/fUnqt2gJZk
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 8, 2020
Responding to Union minister Smriti Irani’s remarks, Kejriwal tweeted: “Smriti ji, women of Delhi have decided who to vote for. And across Delhi, women have decided who their family will vote for. After all, they have to run the house.”
स्मृति जी, दिल्ली की महिलाओं ने किसे वोट देना है ये तय कर लिया है। और पूरी दिल्ली में इस बार अपने परिवार का वोट महिलाओं ने ही तय किया है। आखिर घर तो उन्हें ही चलाना होता है https://t.co/Psszwmmd3a
— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 8, 2020
The AAP chief later clarified his first tweet and said that he meant women should tell men who to vote for. “Women know how difficult it is to run a house. If electricity rates and prices go up, who will it hurt? That’s why I said they should tell the men who to vote for,” Mr Kejriwal told NDTV.
Smriti Irani then countered the tweet again by saying: “The advice that you are giving to women, how many men did you tweet it to?”
जो नसीहत आप महिलाओं को दे रहे हैं आज कितने पुरुषों को ट्वीट करके ऐसी नसीहत दी है आपने ??
— Smriti Z Irani (@smritiirani) February 8, 2020
Women’s voter turnout could play a crucial role in the Delhi assembly elections. In the 2015 polls, the constituencies which saw the highest turnout of women voters were won by the Aam Aadmi Party decisively. Seats with a high turnout of female voters were won by APP with a 5% or larger margin of victory, according to a report in NDTV.
In 2015, the BJP won a mere three seats in the 70-member assembly while AAP won the remaining 67. However, since then the party has conceded one seat to the BJP in a bypoll and six of AAP’s lawmakers have been disqualified over joining other parties.
The campaigns, leading up to the 2019 Delhi assembly elections, involved a bitter contest between the BJP and AAP, with the BJP deploying communally charged tactics to attack AAP.