CHANDIGARH: Can an unmarried man demand a bride from a candidate ahead of Lok Sabha elections ? You can in Haryana, a state with the lowest sex ratio in the country - 877 women per 1,000 men.An abnormally large number of unmarried men in Haryana has even led to the creation of informal "randa unions". Their slogan is "Bahu dilao-vote pao" (Get us a bride-get our vote) ahead of elections.The gender imbalance caused by female foeticide has become so acute that members of these unions and elders in many villages say they will raise the issue when politicians arrive for poll meetings. "The villagers will raise this issue, though in a lighter vein," said Sunil Jaglan, sarpanch of Bibipur village in Jind.The "bahu dilao-vote pao" slogan came from the Kunwara Union, set up in Jind in 2009 by Pawan Kumar, now its chairman. "The government must not only attack female foeticide but also find jobs for young men in Haryana. Unemployment is also a factor for us not getting brides," he said. The union had even organized a protest march five years ago to demand brides.Senior INLD leader and Kalayat assembly segment MLA Rampal Majra said, "We may have to deal with this issue once campaigning begins. The government should generate more jobs for youths and make a serious effort to curb female foeticide."However, Congress Lok Sabha candidate from Hisar Sampat Singh said, "Former chief minister Om Prakash Chautala would often woo voters with promises of conjugal bliss to unmarried men. But, we believe this is a social issue and can be resolved only with awareness."According to Shyam Sunder, secretary of the Red Cross Society of Yamunanagar, each of the 7,000-odd villages in Haryana has 150 to 200 youths who are 25-plus and unmarried. Twenty is considered the ideal age for marriage in rural Haryana.Pune-based NGO Drishti Stree Adhyayan Prabodhan Kendra, which surveyed 56,520 residents in 92 villages of Haryana in 2010, had found that 13.5% men in the age group of 25-29 were unmarried.The government claims many gender sensitivity schemes have been launched but women activists like Jagmati Sangwan feel that a mass movement is required to save the girl child in Haryana.