Only seven woman leaders have made it to Lok Sabha from state since 1952

Deepender Deswal

Hisar, March 30

A look at the electoral data of Lok Sabha elections since 1952 brings up just seven women who had made it to the Lok Sabha collectively 12 times from the state, including when it was a part of undivided Punjab before 1966.

The narrative of women empowerment by the government as well as the predominant social outfits – khap panchayat – remained only on paper when it comes to sharing of political power in Haryana.

Apart from the programmes such as “Beti Bachao, Beti Padao”, the BJP-led government had also ensured 50% reservation for women in panchayat raj institutions though the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Second Amendment) Act 2020. This amendment was touted as a landmark in promoting women in the political arena as political power was one of the most important factors for empowerment in a democratic setup.

The electoral data revealed that seven women politicians have registered 12 wins in the Lok Sabha polls from the first general elections held in 1952 to 2019. However, some politicians like Phoolwati, Sushma Swaraj and Subhashini had been unsuccessful in their debut. While Sushma Swaraj kept on her struggle and emerged on the national political scene, Phoolwati and Subhashini faded into political oblivion soon after their electoral defeats early in their careers.

According to the Election Commission data, there had been 110 women candidates who had tried their luck in the Lok Sabha elections in Haryana since 1967. The maximum number of women candidates were in the fray in the 2014 General Election (32), followed by 2009 (14) and 2019 (11). There was no women candidate in the fray in the 1967 and 1971 General Election.

Jagmati Sangwan, a woman activist working for the All India Democratic Women Association (AIDWA), said the participation of women has increased in political activities like attending political rallies and taking responsibilities in the party organisations over the years. “But, men still dominate the decision making in most of the political parties,” she said.

Sikkim Nain, another woman activist, commented that women have asserted themselves by achieving heights in sports, education and social service, but were reduced to playing second fiddle in politics. “Women from political families are given preference in ticket allocation,” she said.