THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The 50% reservation in local bodies in the state—which came into force in 2009—gave voice to a wider section of women in society, enabling them to break their silence in politics. But, how far has this representation translated into true political emancipation?
Ministers R Bindu and Veena George, Thiruvananthapuram mayor Arya Rajendran, former minister K K Shailaja, and leaders like Nabeesa Ummal, M Kamalam, M T Padma, Maleth Saraladevi, Rachel Mathai, Padmaja Venugopal and Sobha Surendran are among the women actively involved in Kerala’s political arena. Yet, compared to their male counterparts, the presence of women in positions of real power remains limited.
Between 1951 and 2024, only 173 women have contested Lok Sabha elections, with just 10 tasting success. This includes Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, the only woman MP from Kerala in 2024, who made it through the by-election to Wayanad, which her brother Rahul Gandhi vacated. Barring 1996 and 2021, fewer than 10 women have made it to the assembly in the 64-year period from 1957 to 2021.
Political commentator J Prabhash said this is alarmingly poor for a state that reserves half of its local-body seats for women. “Where there is power, women are absent because they are denied access to it. Parties must have internal democracy to ensure women’s participation. Unless reservation is introduced in higher tiers, the patriarchal nature of politics will continue,” Prabhash said.
Patriarchy is so entrenched that women in power often have to display “typical male traits” to be accepted, he added.
Speaking to TNIE in 2015, at the end of her tenure as Thiruvananthapuram mayor, K Chandrika said the 53 women in her council took more effort in executing policy, which they viewed as hitting closer to home. She said if such a council could win several laurels for the corporation, more women should come forward. Ten years on, she still holds the view.
“There are many women who perform better than men, but they do not always get equal opportunities, even when they prove their ability. Men never give up power,” Chandrika said.
“In a state with more women voters, it is a drawback that women do not have a bigger political role,” former minister P K Sreemathi said. “We have seen change, especially within the LDF, but without reservation in the assembly and Parliament, it will be difficult for women to rise,” she said.
For Congress leader Bindu Krishna, who has been involved in several battles over allocation of seats, little has changed since 1987.
“I remember Leela Damodara Menon strongly speaking for women’s reservation in 1987, on a stage filled with veteran leaders. Those who spoke after her assured their support. I believed this was a sign of change. But the reality is that we are still fighting for it in 2025,” she said.
J Chandra, the first woman Thiruvananthapuram mayor, said party membership itself is male-dominated and that women are fielded “according to convenience”. Having entered politics after retirement, she said, “Women don’t indulge in self-promotion as men do.”
As the Women’s Reservation Bill granting a 33% quota for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies moves closer to implementation, experts hope it will transform the political sphere. But they emphasised that without a shift in societal mindset, the goal will remain incomplete.