The role that women voters play in determining who holds political power in this province appears to be taking on added significance.

Recent polls show the NDP is experiencing serious slippage in support from women, while the B.C. Liberals are gaining ground in that area.

Both the Mustel Group and the Angus Reid polling firms have documented this shift, and it appears linked to both the brutal take-down of a female leader by the NDP, and the departure of Gordon Campbell from the B.C. Liberal leadership.

Campbell has long been seen as a liability with women voters, but he was able to get their support when it counted most - at election time. His potential successors would all appear to be more appealing to women voters, but none more than Christy Clark.

In fact, if Clark were to become premier it is likely the B.C. Liberals would stand a good chance of corralling a huge chunk of the electorate denied them in the past.

And, for now anyway, Clark appears to be the candidate of choice for both the voting public and those who consider themselves B.C. Liberal supporters. So the table is set for a complete reversal in B.C. politics (as if that should ever come as a surprise).

The NDP has long prided itself as a champion of the interests of women, and it even implemented an affirmative action policy to ensure more female candidates in the last election. But it is now seen as the party that undemocratically turfed a female leader, and it will undoubtedly elect a man to succeed Carole James.

In fact, it will be interesting to see if any women even run for the NDP leadership. If none do, it will be a stunning commentary about the party's true commitment to the interests of women.

Meanwhile, the B.C. Liberals couldn't be happier about this. The polls show the NDP's loss in support from women is in the double-digits, as many have gone over to the B.C. Liberals.

The significance of this political shift cannot be underestimated. When the B.C. Liberals and NDP square off in elections, the question of which party wins power lies in the hands of several thousand voters.

Politicians always talk of the importance of winning the support of the proverbial "soccer mom." In other words, suburban women with a young family are a key demographic in elections. If the choices are Christy Clark versus Mike Farnworth or Adrian Dix, which party do you think holds the advantage?

Now, there is time for the NDP to recover their support from women. The memories of the ugly ouster of James will fade, and if the B.C. Liberals opt for Kevin Falcon, Mike de Jong or George Abbott as leader the contrast in leadership of the two parties will be less striking.

And Clark still strikes me as someone who can come flying into the job with great energy and great positives, only to see things gradually go sour over time.

But in this year of great upheaval in B.C. politics, where seismic shifts are occurring on a number of fronts, keeping track of the female electorate will be fascinating.

If the B.C. Liberals were still trailing the NDP by a huge margin in public opinion (as they were with Campbell and James as leaders), the views of women wouldn't matter so much.

But if the NDP loses even a fraction of its female support, it could cost the party the next election. And as it stands right now, that's exactly what it's facing.

- Keith Baldrey is chief political reporter for Global BC. Keith.Baldrey@globalnews.ca