Despite accounting for 49% of the population in Chhattisgarh, there is feeble representation of women in the State Assembly as well as in the Parliament.
Facing neglect from political parties, women are struggling to find a foothold in the political arena.
In 2013 polls, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded 11 women candidates while Congress fielded 13. Thus roughly 13% representation was given to them even though they account for nearly half of the population.
BJP’s woman candidates numbering 6 succeeded in the elections while from Congress the winning percentage was around 33% and 4 of the candidates registered victory.
Expecting sympathy votes the Congress displayed trust in 2013 elections on three Jheeram massacre victim leaders’ widows but only Dehuti Karma won the polls.
The decision that women candidates are not accepted by the social strata here proves to be true when we see that one woman candidate Anita Patre, even fighting from the Nationally recognized political party from Scheduled Caste reserve seat of Nawagarh failed even to prevent her deposit from being fortified.
When askedfor reason of the low percentage representation of women, Chairperson, Chhattisgarh Woman’s Commission and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Harshita Pandey while talking to The Pioneer termed it a social issue rather than political. “The mindset of society here is such that there is no acceptance to leadership of woman”, she said.
On the other hand, former Mayor and senior Congress leader Kiranmayi Nayak said women in general lack skill of evolving political strategy. Apart from that, the politics today is murky in which the woman find it awkward to work, she said.
However, notably there is substantial representation of women in the local government level in Chhattisgarh. Women are coming out in large numbers from their homes and are also making entry into politics.
As per a report tabled in the Lok Sabha, proving their mettle in governance in the three-tier Panchayat bodies of the state they have recorded 55.14% representation here securing fourth position all over the country. The reason behind this is the 33% reservation for them in the Panchayat bodies and no doubt the scenario in the state assemblies and parliament would also change with the same effect with the clearance of Woman’s Reservation Bill in the Parliament which is lingering for a long time now.