Still a man’s world: Haryana political parties shy away from fielding women
Just 51 women have been given party tickets this time round, in the last 14 assembly elections, only 87 women have become lawmakers in the state
Fifty-one women candidates have been fielded by major political parties for the October 5 elections of the 90-member Haryana Vidhan Sabha, the battlefield from where former external affairs minister Sushma Swaraj had begun her illustrious political journey in 1977.
Swaraj was first elected from Ambala Cantt segment in 1977, for the fifth Haryana assembly, when she was 25 years old. Swaraj again won in 1987 and on both occasions, she became a minister.
Notwithstanding Swaraj’s rise in politics, after Haryana was carved out of Punjab on November 1, 1966, in the last 14 assembly elections, just 87 women have become lawmakers in the state.
According to Haryana Vidhan Sabha records, in the past five assembly elections, beginning in 2000, a total of 47 women have become legislators in a state notorious for its skewed gender ratio, which was 916 female births (sex ratio at birth) per 1,000 males in 2023.
In 2000, only four women were elected to the assembly, but a record 12 women became legislators in 2005, and all were from Congress when Bhupinder Singh Hooda became chief minister. Women’s representation in the House was nine in 2009 (Congress had retained power) and reached 13, the highest so far, in 2014 as the BJP assumed power for the first time in the state. However, the number of women MLAs dipped to nine in 2019.
Now, as over 2 crore voters of Haryana are gearing up for the elections of the 15th Vidhan Sabha, ruling BJP’s rebel candidate Savitri Jindal, mother of BJP’s Kurukshetra MP Naveen Jindal, is among a large number of women candidates who have entered the electoral battleground as Independents.
The 75-year-old Savitri Jindal, who is the chairperson of the steel and power giant OP Jindal Group, has filed her papers from Hisar segment, which BJP’s Dr Kamal Gupta (health minister) represented in the now-dissolved 14th Vidhan Sabha.
But the total number of women candidates vying for a berth in the assembly as Independents will be clear on September 16, the last date for withdrawing candidature. In all, 1,561 candidates have filed nominations.
Cong fields 12 candidates, the highest
The principal opposition party, Congress, has given tickets to 12 women candidates, followed by the ruling BJP, which has fielded 10 women nominees. The alliance partners Jannayak Janta Party-Azad Samaj Party (JJP-ASP) have given tickets to eight women out of a total of 85 candidates, while Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has fielded 10 women out of the total 90 candidates.
As many as 11 women candidates from the Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) and Bahujan Samaj Party (INLD-BSP) alliance have also entered the fray.
In the 2019 assembly elections, a total of 105 women candidates, including Independents, were in the fray. Then, BJP had fielded 12 women; Congress pitted nine women; INLD gave tickets to 15 women, and its offshoot, JJP, had given tickets to seven women in 2019.
Prof Sonika, who teaches political science at Central University, Mahendergarh, says that Haryana’s politics is still rooted in patriarchy. “Our political system is yet to accept women as their leader,” she said, asking why Haryana has not seen a woman as chief minister so far. “The tickets are allotted to women hailing from big political families only.”
Endorsing Prof Sonika’s views, four-time Congress MLA Geeta Bhukkal says women should be empowered socially, financially, and politically. “A bill granting 33% reservation to women in parliament and state assemblies was passed, but it will be implemented in 2029, which is also a joke with women. Nonetheless, Congress has fielded the highest 12 women candidates in Haryana,” says Bhukkal, a former education minister, who is contesting from the Jhajjar-SC seat.
Nominees from major parties
The Congress’ women nominees are Manju Choudhary (Nangal Chaudhry); Shalley Chaudhary (Naraingarh); Renu Bala (Sadhaura-SC); Vinesh Phogat (Julana); Shakuntla Khatak (Kalanaur-SC); Geeta Bhukkal (Jhajjar-SC); Pooja Chaudhary (Mulana-SC); Sumita Virk (Karnal); Manisha Sangwan (Dadri); Anita Yadav (Ateli); Pearl Chaudhary (Pataudi-SC); and Parag Sharma (Ballabgarh).
On the other hand, BJP’s women nominees are Shakti Rani Sharma (Kalka), Santosh Sarwan (Mulana SC-); Kamlesh Dhanda (Kalayat); former Lok Sabha MP Sunita Duggal (Ratia-SC); Shruti Choudhry (Tosham); Bimla Chaudhary (Pataudi-SC); Krishna Gahlawat (Rai); while Manju Hooda will challenge Congress’ strongman Bhupinder Singh Hooda in Gari Sampla-Kiloi segment. Renu Dabla (Kalanaur -SC); and Kumari Arti Singh Rao (Ateli) are among the fresh faces of the BJP.
Women’s representation in the 90-member Vidhan Sabha was 4.44% in 2000 when four women were elected out of 49 in the fray from different political outfits. The highest 14.4% women won in 2014 when BJP dethroned the Congress as out of 116 women fielded by different political parties, 13 had won. But the number again fell in 2019 with nine women winning (10%) out of 104 in the fray.
‘Male dominance continues’
Political analysts agree that political parties are not giving adequate representation to women candidates because their sole aim is to field candidates with maximum winnability chances. Hence, women candidates fielded by political parties are mostly the ones representing political families having a support base.
BJP leader and Rajya Sabha member Kiran Choudhry says that women should be supported to take part in politics. “The daughters of Haryana have brought laurels in the Olympics, prestigious exams and they will dominate politics in the near future. I feel that our society still believes in male dominancy in politics,” said Choudhry, the veteran Haryana leader, who had left Congress after Lok Sabha elections.