31 fight it out for Kurukshetra seat, but only one woman in fray

Tribune News Service

Nitish Sharma

Kurukshetra, May 11

Of the 31 candidates contesting the Kurukshetra Lok Sabha constituency seat, only one woman candidate is in the fray. Patasho Devi (60), a resident of Kaithal, is contesting the elections as an Independent candidate. It was in the 2019 elections when the maximum of three women candidates had contested.

Want to raise voice In Lok sabha

I belong to a poor family and want to work for the welfare of the people and farmers. I have been a sarpanch of the village, but now I want to raise my voice for my constituency in the Lok Sabha. — Patasho Devi, Independent candidate

No prefrence to women leaders

Women have a number of responsibilities towards their family due to which they don’t give priority to politics. Because of these issues, political parties don’t give preference to women leaders. — Santosh Dahiya, Women’s wing president of Sarva Jatiya Sarva Khap Mahapanchayat

The constituency witnessed its first elections in 1977 when eight candidates had contested the poll but not a single woman candidate was in the fray. Even in 1980, there was no woman candidate among the 15 candidates who had contested. It was in 1984 when two women candidates contested against 18 men contestants. The BJP had fielded Kamla, while Kala Devi contested as an Independent candidate.

However, again no woman candidate contested in the 1989 and 1991 elections.

In 1996, Kailasho Devi of the Social Action Party (SAP) challenged 13 men candidates and managed to secure the second position, and in 1998 she again contested from the Kurukshetra constituency but this time on the ticket of the Haryana Lok Dal (Rashtriya) and became the first woman Member of Parliament from the constituency and then retained her office in 1999 elections on the ticket of the INLD. She was the only woman candidate in 1996, 1998 and 1999.

But in 2004, no woman candidate entered the fray and in the 2009 elections Independent candidate Sunita Dhariwal challenged 13 men and scored the sixth position.

In the 2014 elections, the Aam Aadmi Party fielded Balwinder Kaur, while the Indian Bahujan Sandesh (Kanshiram) Party’s Kanta Alariya was also in the fray. In 2019, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Loktantra Suraksha Party alliance had fielded Sashi Saini, while Navnirman Party and Bharat Prabhat Party had fielded Jyoti Nibana and Rajkumari, respectively. However, no one managed to repeat what Kailasho Devi did.

Patasho Devi said, “I belong to a poor family and want to work for the welfare of the people and farmers. I have been a sarpanch of the village, but now I want to raise my voice for my constituency in the Lok Sabha. I have been going door to door to seek public support. People have been extending their support to me.”

Women’s wing president of Sarva Jatiya Sarva Khap Mahapanchayat, Santosh Dahiya, who had contested the 2019 Assembly elections, said, “Women are capable and they have shown their abilities but they have a number of responsibilities towards their family due to which they don’t give priority to politics. Because of these issues, political parties don’t give preference to women leaders. We appeal to women to come out in large numbers and start participating in politics. The day we start finding 40 to 50 per cent women candidates, the political parties will also start taking women candidates more seriously and start fielding them in elections on party tickets.”

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