M A I N   N E W S

A dream House, finally
Highest number of women MPs since Independence
Aditi Tandon
Tribune News Service

n There are 58 women MPs, the highest to be elected to the Lok Sabha since Independence n This is the first time that the number of women MPs has crossed the 10 per cent (of the strength of House) mark n UP has returned the highest number of women to the lower House — 13

New Delhi, May 19
The 15th Lok Sabha has all the ingredients for a perfect House. It has a large number of young and old members on the one hand, heavyweights and novices on the other. Besides, it has a fine line-up of MPs on both sides of the political fence, strong enough to promise an eye-turner of a session.

The first benchers on the ruling side will comprise UPA chief Sonia Gandhi along with her expected team of lieutenants including Pranab Mukherjee, P Chidambaram, Kamal Nath, Kapil Sibal, Meira Kumar and alliance partners Sharad Pawar, Mamata Banerjee, Dayanidhi Maran, Azhagiri and Farooq Abdullah, among others.

Following them will be the Congress’ youth icon Rahul Gandhi with his brigade featuring Sachin Pilot, Deepender Hooda, Jyotiraditya Scindia and the first-timers like Navneet Bittu, Vijayinder Singla, Shruti Choudhry and Ashok Tanwar.

The opposite side will have BJP leader LK Advani and party stalwarts Rajnath Singh, Jaswant Singh, Murli Manohar Joshi, Yashwant Sinha and Sushma Swaraj. After long, it will be interesting to see Sonia Gandhi face-to-face with Sushma Swaraj, who has no love lost for the former.

This Lok Sabha will also see a host of political strongmen like former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda, former chief ministers Bhajan Lal and Virbhadra Singh and leaders of all major political parties. The latter category will be dominated by JD(U) chief Sharad Yadav, RJD’s Lalu Yadav, SP’s Mulayam Singh Yadav, RLD’s Ajit Singh, TMC’s Mamata Banerjee, NC’s Farooq Abdullah and others.

Not to forget to mention 58 women MPs, the highest to be elected to the Lok Sabha since Independence; 17 of them are under 40 years. While 23 of them are from the Congress, 13 are from the BJP. Uttar Pradesh has returned the highest number of women to the lower House -- 13. This is the first time that the number of women MPs has crossed the 10 per cent (of the strength of House) mark.

The 15th LS will also be interesting for its heady blend of old and young members -- it has 79 MPs under 40, the youngest being Congress’ Lakshadweep MP Mohammad Sayeed. About 36 MPs are 70-year-old, led by Ram Sunder Das, the 88-year-old giant killer of Hajipur who defeated LJP chief Ramvilas Paswan.

Interestingly, though this LS has a record number - 15 per cent - MPs in age group 25 to 40 years, it still is the third oldest House, the oldest being the 13th LS. As regards women, their lowest percentage was in the sixth Lok Sabha (1977-80), at just 3.8 as against 13.80 this time. In the last House, only 9.8 per cent of MPs were women.

Legislative research also shows that the total percentage of MPs ages 41 to 55 years this time is the second lowest in the last 14 sessions, with 43 per cent members in this bracket.

The 15th LS will also have its dramatic element, with a host of celebrities securing their berth. These include Jaya Prada, Shatrughan Sinha, Navjot Sidhu, southern superstars Chiranjeevi and Vijaya Santhi; cricketers Azharuddin and Kirti Azad, reality TV star and MP Sanjay Nirupam and Sidhant Mahapatra, the famous Orissa’s film star who defeated Congress minister Chandrashekhar Sahu in Berhampur. Mahapatra contested on BJD ticket.

Even the erstwhile royal families have a decent representation in the 15th house, led by Yashodhararaje and Jyotiraditya Scindia in Madhya Pradesh, Chandresh Kumari in Jodhpur and Preneet Kaur in Patiala. Scion of Bolangir royal family in Orissa Kalikesh Singh Deo has also made it to the lower House this time. He defeated his aunt and BJP’s three-time MP from Bolangir Sangeeta Singhdeo.

Among the promising new entrants are Shashi Thoroor, Bathinda’s SAD MP Harsimrat Badal, BJD’s industrialist-politician Bayjant Panda, Supriya Sule, Azhagiri and Kanimozhi from the political dynasties of Sharad Pawar and DMK chief M. Karunanidhi, respectively.

Among old timers who will be missed in the 15th LS are Congress’ Manishankar Aiyar, CPM’s Mohd Salim and Rup Chand Pal, BJP’s aggressive MP Kharabela Swain, among several others.

That apart, with so many veterans as its members, this House is expected to witness quality debates after long years. Also, it is expected to be much more functional, one that will end the infamy of the 14th LS, which saw parliamentary ethics hit their lowest ebb; 11 members faced expulsion in the last House.