The representation of women in the state legislative Assembly has been on the decline. Only 10 of the 288 MLAs are women, out of 211 who contested the elections. This is one down from the 2004 elections, which saw 12 of 157 women contestants elected to the House. In 1999, too, 12 women had been elected, but only 86 had contested then.

There has been a gradual decline in the representation of women since the 1990s, though the number of female candidates had risen gradually since1980, except in 1999 which saw a sharp dip.

In 1980, 49 women had contested the polls and 19 won; in 1985, 83 had contested and 16 won. Parties fielded 147 women in 1990 and 247 in 1995, but the number of winners was low, six and 11 respectively.

This time, the highest number of women winners is from the Congress, at four, followed by the NCP and BJP with two each. The list is completed by the Shiv Sena and the PWP with one each.

Among the winners, MP Eknath Gaikwad’s daughter Varsha has been re-elected from Dharavi in Mumbai, while former Health Minister Vimal Mundada has been re-elected from Kej in Marathwada.

Among the new, young faces are Union Power Minister Sushilkumar Shinde’s 28-year-old daughter Praniti, elected from Solapur Central, BJP MP Gopinath Munde’s daughter Pankaja from Parli in Marathwada and Youth Congress’s Yashomati Thakur from Tivsa in Amravati.

And the winners are
* Varsha Gaikwad, Dharavi
* Meenakshi Patil, Alibaug
* Dr Vimal Mundada, Kej
* Pankaja Munde, Parli
* Mira Renge, Pathri
* Nirmala Gavit, Igatpuri
* Madhuri Misal, Parvati
* Shyamal Bagal, Karmala
* Praniti Shinde , Solapur Central
* Yashomati Thakur, Tivsa