As the rural populace of Jharkhand exercises its franchise for the second time to elect ‘honest and able’ Panchayati Raj Institution representatives, the enthusiasm of the women voters towards the democratic process is seen at par with their male counterparts, if not more.
A testament to this fact is the long queues of women outside polling booths, far longer than men. As per data put forth by the State Election Commission, a total of 82,74,552 women will cast their votes during the four phases of three-tier panchayat elections-2015.
And it doesn’t end at numbers alone – the homemakers of state’s countryside intend to bring those to power who will work for the betterment of their village.
Prior to the polls, we (women of the village) have had discussions to determine the most capable candidate, one who will work for the people of the village, exclaimed a group of women queuing outside booth number 147 in Horhap village of Namkum, located 16km from Ranchi between limestone hills.
“Previously, women used to be holed up in their houses, busy with daily chores and mostly uninterested in social matters. But now they too are becoming aware of their importance in democratic processes and their say in electing governments. This awareness has translated into increase in numbers of women voters coming to polling booths,” said Anima Toppo, a voter from Ara village in Namkum.
This positive attitude can be seen despite a decline of a little over four per cent in seat reservation for women candidates. Against 57.8 per cent women reservation in 2010 panchayat elections, only 52.58 per cent seats were reserved for women.
The demands of such a large group is very fundamental, though – water and toilets. “Even though a number of projects are being run for building toilets in households, our and neighbouring villages are still waiting for toilets in every home. And this is a major problem in this region. Some candidates have promised to attend to this matter to the best of their abilities, and we are considering them as viable options,” Anima said.
Another voter from Ara, Tilamani Devi said, “Water scarcity has been a part and parcel of our lives. Most of the handpumps in the village have either dried out or are out of order. Plus, rains have been scarce this year, so we are expecting a tough summer. Being housewives, we are the ones who have the responsibility of fetching water from far-off sources and even they are unreliable ones.”
“Candidates have assured that they will get the dysfunctional handpumps and get water harvesting pits dug for storing water. We took into consideration these promises while voting,” she added.