Women’s proxies

IT is neither rare, nor new, but the concept of ‘sarpanch pati’ never fails to surprise. Husbands of elected women representatives wielding control, running office and calling the shots is a pan-India irregularity. In Bhiwani, a ‘chairperson pati’, Bhawani Pratap Singh, is drawing attention for all the wrong reasons. Acting as his wife Preeti Tanwar’s proxy, he chaired a meeting of the Municipal Council. In the recent past, there have been instances in Madhya Pradesh of husbands, brothers-in-law and fathers-in-law being administered oath instead of the elected women. The brazenness on display makes a mockery of the constitutional provisions to empower women. The concerns are manifold. It deprives them of a meaningful role, and at the same time reinforces patriarchal and gender imbalances.

The emergence of female leadership is limited to the electoral process. Once the poll results are announced, power is usurped. Some are put up as proxies as the male family members are unable to contest due to seats getting reserved for women. Women exercise nominal power, while the men perform the real work of governance. Strict interventions with strong laws are needed. As the web series Panchayat highlights, despite the widespread social sanction for ‘sarpanch pati’, shades of female assertion are visible and the effects can be transformative. Women in positions of power, studies have revealed, do a better job in influencing the delivery of public services. They are twice as likely to address a request or a complaint and there is greater responsiveness to female policy concerns. Village councils with female leaders invest more in drinking water infrastructure, sanitation, roads, schools, healthcare and irrigation facilities.

The reservation policy may have underestimated the degree to which inequalities pervade social and political life. There is a case for securing space for women in other prominent panchayat and local government roles. Connecting first-time elected representatives with experienced women politicians can be a booster dose. The project is a work in progress; it needs constant interface and assessment.

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