Only 4 women among 55 candidates in LS poll fray
Out of 55 candidates in the fray for the Lok Sabha polls, only four women candidates have been given tickets across five constituencies in the state.
Uttarakhand will go to polls in the first phase on April 19.
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has once again fielded its sitting MP Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah from Tehri Garhwal seat, the only woman candidate from the party. While the Congress has pitched no woman candidate on any of the five seats.
Originally from the royal family of Nepal, Shah married into the Tehri royal family which wields a lot of influence among the locals in Tehri Garhwal.
In the 2012 by-election, when Vijay Bahuguna vacated the Lok Sabha seat to become the state chief minister for the Congress, BJP’s Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah first grabbed the seat. She was the first woman to be elected to the Lok Sabha from the state after its formation in 2000.
Three other women candidates in the fray belong to smaller parties. Sureshi Devi is contesting from Peoples Party of India (Democratic) (Garhwal), Reshma Panwar from Socialist Unity Centre of India (Communist) (Garhwal), Kiran Arya from Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (Almora).
In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, five women candidates were among 52 candidates in the fray. These candidates were Mala Rajya Laxmi Shah from BJP (Tehri Garhwal), Dropadi Verma from Uttarakhand Kranti Dal (Democratic) (Almora), Vimla Arya from Uttarakhand Parivartan Party (Almora), Reenu from Hindustan Nirman Dal (Haridwar), Madhu Shah as an Independent (Tehri Garhwal).
Women from Uttarakhand have been at the forefront of almost every mass movement in the state. The Chipko movement was the prime example. The Chipko movement, which began in the 1970s, aimed to protect forests from deforestation and environmental degradation by hugging trees to prevent them from being cut down. The movement was led by women like Gaura Devi, who organized protests and acts of civil disobedience to raise awareness about the importance of preserving forests for future generations. Women also played a pivotal role in the anti-alcohol movement in the state. But the women candidature in the Lok Sabha elections from the state has been minimal. According to official data, of the 8.32 million total voters in the state, 4.01million are women voters.
State Congress vice-president (organisation) Mathura Dutt Joshi said: “Uttarakhand is a small state. Every party prioritises choosing candidates on the basis of winnability. Our party has given enough tickets to women in other states to ensure their adequate representation in the Parliament. We gave enough tickets to women candidates in the state assembly elections last year. Once the Women Reservation Bill will come into force, all parties will be bound to give 1/3 tickets to women.”
BJP state media in-charge Manveer Singh Chauhan said: “Our party has always worked for the upliftment of women. We also want to strengthen women in the political landscape. Out of the five seats, we have given one seat to a woman. Our government gave 50% reservation for women in panchayats and local bodies. The Modi government also passed the Women Reservation Bill, which will ensure 33% reservation to women in Lok Sabha and state assemblies. The Congress, on the other hand, is a ‘Parivarvadi’ (family centric) party. They give hollow slogans but do nothing to empower women.”