Haryana, which is known for its skewed sex ratio and rigid patriarchal order, has awfully fewer women candidates standing at 11 only or just 4.9 percent of the total 223 candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha elections.
While the political parties talk big on promoting gender equality and women empowerment, they have a dismal track record when it comes to fielding women candidates in the elections.
As the 4.9 percent representation of women candidates in elections reminds us of cliché about it being a “man’s world”, the fact remains that women constitute almost half the share of total voters in the state.
A total of 1.80 crore electors in Haryana include 97.16 lakh men and 83.40 women voters (47 percent).
The state has 10 Lok Sabha seats, which goes to polling on May 12. Out of 11 women candidates, four are from national and state level recognized parties while others are independents.
The Congress, which promises 33 percent reservation for women in Parliament and State Assemblies, has given ticket to two women candidates namely Rajya Sabha MP Kumari Selja and former MP Shruti Choudhry, daughter of Congress legislative party leader Kiran Choudhry in Haryana.
The ruling BJP, may have been boasting of women empowerment and safety following the launch of “Beti Bachao Beti Padhao” campaign among other initiates but the party’s choice of candidates tells a different story. Sunita Duggal, a former Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officer, is the lone woman candidate fielded by the BJP from Sirsa (reserved) parliamentary constituency.
The Indian National Lok Dal, the state’ grand old party, did not give ticket to even a single woman candidate.
Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party, which is contesting the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana in an alliance with Jannayak Janta Party has also not fielded any woman candidate on three seats it is contesting. The JJP has fielded a lone candidate, Swati Yadav from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh seat while the party is contesting on seven seats in Haryana and had earlier claimed to give 33 percent representation to women candidates.
The Bahujan Samaj Party- Loktantra Suraksha Party alliance has fielded two women candidates namely Raj Bala Saini from Sonipat and Shashi Saini from Kurukshetra parliamentary seat.
“This time, the number of women candidates in Haryana is 11, which is equal to the number of women candidates who contested elections during Lok Sabha polls 2014,” said Haryana joint chief electoral officer, Inder Jeet while talking to The Pioneer.
He said that one woman candidate is contesting elections from Ambala seat, three from Kurukshetra, one from Sirsa, two from Sonipat, one from Rohtak, two from Bhiwani-Mahendragarh and one from Faridabad.
There are a total of 223 candidates, including 40 from national and state level recognized parties, in the election, he added.
In 2014 Lok Sabha polls, there were a total of 230 candidates including 11 women candidates. The women candidates included were one from national party (Congress), one from state party (INLD), five from unrecognized parties and four independents.
Since Haryana was carved out of Punjab in 1966, only nine women MPs have been sent to Parliament from the state. Of them, two women MPs were elected in 2009 and 1999 each and one women MP each in 2004, 1998, 1996, 1991, 1977.
The parliamentary constituencies namely Karnal, Rohtak, Hisar, Faridabad, Gurugram and Sonipat have not sent a woman candidate to Parliament yet.
Congress’ Kumari Selja has been elected four times, twice from Ambala (reserved) and twice from Sirsa (reserved) and Kailasho Devi from Kurukshetra twice. Former MPs Chandrawati, Shruti Choudhry and Sudha Yadav represented Bhiwani, Bhiwani-Mahendergarh and Mahendergarh seats once, respectively.
Jagmati Sangwan, a social activist and general secretary, All India Democratic Women’s Association (AIDWA) said that though women participation in the entire electoral process has increased in terms of voting percentage, their role in election campaign and rallies but they are still not being given equal representation as a leader in Haryana, which is known for its patriarchal set up.
The national as well as regional parties have more or less same attitude towards women representation in politics. However, a welcoming step has been taken by Biju Janata Dal and Trinamool Congress which have fielded 33 percent and 40 percent women candidates respectively in Lok Sabha polls, she said.
The national parties need to re-think about their approach towards women empowerment and the issue of women representation in active politics. Besides, election reforms are also required to ensure that women who constitute half of country’s electorate are represented in equal numbers in Parliament, Jagmati added.
Notably, Haryana had scripted history in 2014 assembly polls by electing 13 women MLAs, the highest in the state since the first elections in 1967 after its formation.