They form 49 per cent of the population of the country, yet the political parties have given an unfair deal to the fair sex in the largest State of the country Uttar Pradesh. This comes as a surprise because after the Delhi gang-rape incident women empowerment had been the favourite sound byte at all the political rallies of leaders like Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. But offering tickets for the lok Sabha elections is a different ball game altogether
In Uttar Pradesh, the Bahujan Samaj Party has fielded five women candidates, the Congress party has fielded 12 women candidates, Bharatiya Janata Party has fielded 10 women candidates while the Samajwadi Party has fielded 11 women candidates. This is the statistic from the State which has given the country a woman Prime Minister in the past. While The Pioneer tried to probe into the issue, the answers were cliché for those who agreed to go on record and obvious for those who pleaded anonymity.
Juhi Singh, State Secretary, Samajwadi Party said that patriarchal tendencies prevailed across all political parties.
“There is no political will across the parties to see that women candidates get the tickets. It is always said that it is the internal decision of the party but then why should the women candidates not get a chance. I have closely observed that most women are given the reserved seats and I have also noticed that women fare worse in parties that are headed by women at the National levels. A woman, if given an opportunity would emerge better but none of the parties like to take a chance with new women candidates,” said Juhi Singh
A women member of the BJP, on conditions of anonymity said that she had wanted to raise the issue with the senior leaders. “Out of the close to a dozen candidates that have got the tickets, it is the two actresses (Hema Malini and Smriti Irani) who have got a ticket in the general category and the remaining have got in the reserved category apart from the well known ones like Maneka Gandhi and Uma Bharti. This is the second time that I had asked for the ticket in the lok Sabha elections and did not receive one,” said the woman member who added that consistent workers were taken for granted.
General Secretary Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Pramod Kumar Singh said that as compared to last lok Sabha elections, the party has fielded more number of women candidates in this year’s elections. “The applications had been few and we can only take as per how many women had applied. We have 12 candidates and that is a fairly good number and also a slight increase from the previous election,” said Singh.
Swami Prasad Mauyra from the Bahujan Samaj Party said that the candidates were selected on the basis of applications. “Women candidates who applied and had a strong intention of fighting were selected,” he said.
Actress Nagma, a parachute candidate (from Meerut), when queried about why women had got a low representation when Congress leader Rahul Gandhi had been very active in promoting the idea of women empowerment in the rallies, said that Rahul Gandhi was making changes in small measures.
“He cannot just take any drastic step. He has to make changes in small measures and go with the tradition. I am the best example of getting a good opportunity to fight the elections,” said Nagma.
A woman member from the Samajwadi party pleading anonymity said, “Women do get tickets but it was only those who could bring in a sure win. “It is not the point of men or women. It is all about winning. If she is sure to win the seat she will get the ticket. lok Sabha election is a big ball game and very few women opt for fighting these elections.” Rajendra Chowdhary from the Samajwadi Party, however, feels that they have given ample representation to women.
For even as the debate continues that women have as yet to show their prowess in handling the various constituencies the fact remains that the figures are less.