An Analysis of Women Voters as a Factor in JIP’s Electoral Performance in Upper Dir & Lower Dir in General Elections 2018

Abstract

Jamat-e-Islami Pakistan (JIP) is one of the leading Islamist political parties trying since late 1950s to acquire political power in Pakistan through electoral politics. Yet despite passage of several decades, it has not only failed to form government on its own at the federal or provincial level, but has also lost elections in some of the constituencies where previously it had won in several elections. The 2018 elections were particularly significant as JIP lost in all constituencies, except one provincial constituency, in its stronghold districts, viz. Upper Dir and Dir Lower. Some party elites observed that the party’s candidates lost in these two districts mainly due to women voters. Using both primary and secondary data sources, this comparative study examines whether female voters did actually impact, and if so, to what extent, the performance of JIP in general election 2018 in Upper Dir and Lower Dir. The study finds that while the candidates of JIP lost to their rival candidates, their defeat was neither exclusively nor mainly due to women voters. On the contrary, the candidates of JIP secured relatively more votes among female voters than among male voters, although on the whole they lost to the winning candidates both among male and female voters. However, the rather bleak picture of JIP’s electoral performance in its formerly stronghold constituencies of Upper Dir and Lower Dir pose serious question mark over the future prospects of the party, and calls for a soul searching and revisiting of the way JIP has been doing politics in Pakistan’s multi-party electoral market.