Temple ban on women debate rages in flashpoint vote

PATHANAMTHITTA: Voters in a flashpoint constituency in southern India went to the polls after a campaign dominated by the fallout from the controversial decision to allow women to enter a Hindu temple.

The district of Pathanamthitta in the state of Kerala includes the Sabarimala Hindu temple, where two women finally defied a longstanding ban on women of menstruating age last year.

Traditionalists were outraged and many women remain divided over the move, which has overshadowed the campaign with candidates staging election parades on the issue.

Kanaka Durga and Bindu Ammini made history in December when police guided them into the shrine, after the Supreme Court ruled that the ban was unconstitutional.

Days of pitched battles erupted between traditionalists and activists. The anger has not died down and core issues such as unemployment, health and education have been pushed aside during the campaign.

The whole country is expected to follow the result when it is announced on May 23 after India’s marathon election.

Two of the three main candidates in the election are men who support the ban, while the third is a woman who has tried to dodge the topic.

Veena George, who is standing for the alliance of left wing parties that runs Kerala’s state government cited an election commission advisory to avoid using the temple to get votes.

“We need a revival of job opportunities, agriculture and infrastructure. Educated women need jobs,” she said before yesterday’s vote.

India’s main opposition Congress party has fielded Anto Antony, who won the last two elections and has backed the traditionalists.

The Bharatiya Janata Party of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has brandished its pro-Hindu credentials as it seeks to make an impact in a state where it has always struggled.