THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Amid the ongoing debate over delimitation, concerns are being raised about how badly will women representation be hit by it. The delimitation debate has brought back a much required focus on its impact on women reservation. Though the Women’s Reservation Bill was passed, its implementation depends on two factors - next census and the delimitation process.
Kerala politics is steeped in a patriarchal mindset, feel women leaders in the state. In general, parties offer very few seats to women, as was evident from the last LS polls where the LDF fielded three candidates out of 20, the UDF just one while the BJP-led NDA scored with five women in the fray. Once the number of total seats come down post delimitation, there is bound to be a further dip in seats offered to women, they said. Cutting across political parties, women leaders feel that women reservation should be implemented immediately, and adequate women representation be ensured.
Senior CPM leader and ex-minister K K Shailaja said political parties should ensure sufficient women representation, when delimitation is carried out. “There should be adequate representation for women in all houses. The delimitation process should not affect women representation,” she pointed out.
That the Women Reservation Bill was passed with two riders, clearly shows that it was more of an election strategy for the BJP, said Congress leader Shanimol Usman. Kerala politics is deeply immersed in patriarchy. Any shrinkage in LS seats due to delimitation would take the state backwards at least by 25 years, was how she saw it. “Curiously there’s a tendency in Kerala politics to enforce male dominance. If there’s one sector which is steeped in a patriarchal mindset, it’s politics. Already women representation in elections is so less. The delimitation process would make it worse,” felt Shanimol.
Senior CPI leader Annie Raja too felt that passing the legislation with two criteria, is itself aimed at sabotaging women empowerment. No other legislation has been introduced with such binding conditionalities and without any timeframe. “Fascists never believe in gender equality. That’s why the BJP brought in the legislation in such an anti-women manner. And look at the irony. In the LS polls held after the women reservation bill was passed, women representation has come down in Parliament. If it was was 14 % last time, it has come down to 13%,” she said. Irrespective of political parties, there’s a general reluctance to field women candidates, she added.
Winnability is the criterion often cited to keep women candidates away, observed CPM central committee member A R Sindhu. “Not that there’s no favourable mindset in the party, when it comes to fielding women candidates. But the argument that’s often being cited while awarding seats, is the sole criterion of winnability,” she pointed out. This could well be the reason why women do not get sufficient representation, Sindhu opined.
Meanwhile BJP national council member Padmaja Venugopal pointed out that compared to the Congress, the BJP offers more opportunities to women. “The Congress won’t offer winning seats to women. Even if it’s given, they ensure these candidates are defeated. So what’s the purpose of giving such seats? There’s a tendency to defeat women candidates in the Congress. Even the LDF is better than Congress in this aspect,” said Padmaja.