Women’s Participation in Elections: With special reference to 15th Lok Sabha Elections of Indian Parliament in the State of Assam
Women’s Participation in Elections: With special reference to 15th Lok Sabha Elections of Indian Parliament in the State of Assam
The 15th Lok Sabha election result has far reaching political implications for the electoral politics of Assam. With 69.5 percent turn out of votes, the people of Assam have firmly demonstrated their faith in democracy and proved wrong about media’s concern about voter’s apathy. But one factor is out of Medias as well as scholars concern, which is women’s participation in the electoral process. India, on attaining independence, was among the first few countries to grant universal franchise to its women citizens. A large number of women participated in the freedom struggle and quite a few of them emerged as prominent leaders.
Women play an important role in the society, but they were subjected to suppression by our male dominated society. One of the basic features of society in NE region is its diversity. Diversity as a social fact always existed in the world at a large but it becomes a problem mainly when it exists in the name of gender inequality. It becomes a problem when the gender differences become the basis of group inequality or when the different groups perceive one another as threat to their identity or a challenge to their status. We are talking about women empowerment but how much we concern about their political participation. Compare to the male candidates in the past elections, the number of women candidates were very less. In the first ever general election their strength was only 22 (4.4%) in the House. Women’s representation steadily rose in the next general election to reach 34 (6.7%) in the third Lok Sabha. But the trend reversed in the next three elections. Women’s representation in the 6th Lok Sabha was a meager 19 (3.4%), the lowest ever. The subsequent elections, on the whole witnessed an upward trend except 1989 elections, when the number of women MPs drastically dropped to 27 from 44 in the previous Lok Sabha. But from 1991 elections, the number of women MPs steadily rose to touch 44 in 1998 elections, accounting for 8.07 per cent and 49 in 1999, the highest ever.
Table 1.1 shows the participation of women in the past general elections
Table: 1.1. participation of women in general elections
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Year of Election Number Percentage
1952 22 4.4
1957 27 5.4
1962 34 6.7
1967 31 5.9
1971 22 4.2
1977 19 3.4
1980 28 5.1
1984 44 8.1
1989 27 5.29
1991 39 7.07
1996 40 7.36
1998 44 8.07
1999 49 9.02
In the North-East, women voter turn out has always been very impressive. In 1998, it was 59% in Arunachal Pradesh, 61.06% in Assam, 74.38% in Meghalaya, 69.56% in Mizoram, 8.86% in Tripura while in the next general elections it was 72.15% in Arunachal Pradesh, 71.26% in Assam, 65.61% in Manipur, 56.16% in Meghalaya, 65.31% in Mizoram, 76.25% in Nagaland.
Women have a big role in deciding ones future in politics. They constituted approximately 40% of the total voters. In Assam out of 17443617 voters 8431467 are female voters. But our political parties are not given proper interest to involve them in the active politics. In Assam 5 national party were contested in the 15th Lok Sabha Election along with many regional and small parties. Total 158 candidates were contested for 14 parliamentary seats. It is shame for us that where 66.80% of women voter voted, only 11 female candidates were contesting the election. And it is very interesting that only two women Candidates were able to get nomination from the Two Nationalist Parties. Table 1.2 shows the constituency wise contested women candidates
Table: 1.2. constituency wise contested women candidates(2009)
CONSTITUENCY
NAME
AGE
PARTY
Community
Gauhati
Bijoya Chakravarty
70
BJP
GEN
Gauhati
Rina Gayary Das
41
IND
ST
Karimganz (SC)
Malati Roy
42
IND
SC
Autonomous District
Kabon Timungpi
56
IND
ST
Dhuburi
Triptikana Mazumdar
45
IND
GEN
Managoldoi
Lucymai Basumatari
58
RSP
ST
Dibrugarh
Sima Ghosh
40
IND
GEN
Dibrugarh
Niharika Borpatra Gohain Gogoi
30
JMM
GEN
Lakhimpur
Ranee Narah
45
INC
GEN
Lakhimpur
Minu Buragohain
50
SP
GEN
Managoldoi
Parveen Sultana
42
AIMF
GEN
Source: CEO, Assam
15th Lok Sabha Election witnessed a major turn out of women voter in Assam politics. Which was 66.80%. The constituency like Kokrazar, Dhuburi, Barpeta the turn out was crossed 70%. It was a good sign in Assam politics as well as for the women of Assam. These constituency were dominated by immigrant Muslim people, where women are not allowed to get out from their home, but surprisingly now women get out from their home and caste their vote. Its indicate that now women get equal status in terms of men and conscious about their rights. Not only these constituencies but the turn out was also impressive in other constituency too. More than 60% women caste their vote in every constituency. Table 1.3 showed the turn of women voters in Assam.
Table:1.3.
Constituency Turnout
Karimganj 57.56
Silchar 65.61
Autonomous District 63.00
Dhubri 75.03
Kokrajhar 70.10
Barpeta 71.39
Guwahati 61.99
Mangaldoi 66.30
Tezpur 68.37
Nowgong 69.66
Kaliabor 68.78
Jorhat 61.00
Dibrugarh 64.24
Lakhimpur 67.49
Average 66.80
All figures in percentage
Source: CEO Assam.
The turn out of women voters in Assam is more high then other state. In Assam more then 60% of turn out was seen in every general election. Whereas the all India turn out was 58.07% in the 2004 general election and. It proved that Assamese women are far reaching than the rest of India. But the participation of Assamese women in active politics is not so impressive. Mainly the ignorance of the political parties towards them is responsible. Besides this our social system where male are dominated the society does not provided any scope for them to participate in the active politics. In the 1999 election to the Lok Sabha out of 106 contesting candidates only 9 women were there again the number were reduced to 6 in 2004 general election, where 110 male candidates were contested in that election. Suddenly the number were raised to 11 in 2009 Lok Sabha Election, where out of 147 candidates were male. Table 1.3. show the figure of women candidate contested in the General election compare to the male candidate from 1999
Table:1.3. women candidate contested in the General election compare to the male candidate from 1999
Year male female Won
1999 106 9 2
2004 110 6 0
2009 158 11 2
Though they have pride of place in Assamese households and society, women in this state lag behind the men in the political arena. Assamese political parties, which depend on feminine charm to woo voters during elections, have failed miserably in having a proportionate number of women candidates in every elections whatever it is for Lok Sabha or State Assembly. This belies the oft-trumpeted promises that political parties make to facilitate 33 percent representation for women in democratic policy-making bodies. And all parties have a similar explanation for the lesser numbers of women candidates – that they do not have a sufficient number of women who are capable of winning elections. Indeed, if this is true, they have only themselves to blame for not grooming the women.