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Women who bloom in husbands' political woes
Behind every successful woman is a man going through bad times. At least, it's true for politics. Scores of women politicians in Jharkhand are thriving on political setbacks faced by their husbands, and many go onto becoming members of parliament.
Behind every successful woman is a man who is going through bad times. At least, that is true for the capricious world of Indian politics.
Fate smiled on housewife-turned Bihar Chief Minister Rabri Devi only after her husband and former Chief Minister Laloo Prasad Yadav's fortunes took a downturn, and she is only one example of this growing phenomenon.
Scores of women politicians in Jharkhand are thriving on political setbacks that their husbands faced, and many even went on to become members of parliament.
Abha Mahto, a member of parliament in the outgoing Lok Sabha, was elected twice from Jamshedpur constituency.
Her husband Shailendra Mahto was one of the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) MPs accused of accepting bribes to support then Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao in a no-trust motion against his Congress regime in 1993.
When Mahto turned approver in the case, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) rewarded him by fielding his wife Abha from Jamshedpur. She won in 1998, and managed to win the next year too.
The BJP has fielded her again and there are all indications she may score a hat trick from the constituency.
Before her husband's misfortune, this simple housewife had nothing to do with politics.
But BJP chose her to contest instead of Mahto - to safeguard its image - in the same manner discredited former BJP president Bangaru Laxman's wife has been fielded from Andhra Pradesh.
But Abha Mahto's compatriot in similar circumstances failed to click.
Rupi Soren, the wife of JMM chief Shibu Soren -- the main accused in the same bribery scandal -- failed to win the Dumka seat in 1999 after Soren failed twice in a row before that.
Rupi was pitted against former ChiefMminister Babulal Marandi of BJP, but lost by a narrow margin of 5,000 votes.
Till 1991, Soren was elected from the seat without any problem. But the bribery scandal cast a shadow and Soren lost twice at the hands of the comparatively younger and inexperienced Marandi.
At present, Soren still enjoys a towering image in the Dumka constituency and many even address him as 'Guru ji'.
This time, he is trying his luck again -- too bad for his wife for missing the boat.
In the April parliamentary elections, the JMM has fielded a political widow from Koderma seat.
Champa Verma is the widow of four-time BJP MP Rit Lal Verma, who quit the BJP to join the JMM six months ago. But he passed away.
The JMM has decided to field his wife, in what was seen as a bid to exploit the sympathy of voters. But her path to the Lok Sabha will not be an easy won as she faces BJP's Marandi, who is contesting from Koderma this time.
Another woman who shone in politics by dint of her husband's fortunes is four-time MP from Dhanbad and central minister Rita Verma.
Her husband Randhir Verma was an IPS officer posted at Dhanbad as the Superintendent of Police. Killed while trying to stop bank dacoits, Verma was awarded a bravery honour posthumously.
The BJP took the opportunity to nominate the widow from Dhanbad in the 1991 elections. Before this, she was a teacher. She has never looked back since then and won all elections.
