Where have all the women gone?

There are freebies galore for them, but only about 10% of the candidates fielded in the Maharashtra assembly polls are women

The election manifestos of the ruling coalition in Maharashtra, the Mahayuti, and the Opposition front, the Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA), promise riches for women. The Mahayuti wants to hike the monthly allowance under the Ladki Bahin Yojana, deemed a game changer by the Eknath Shinde government, and make five million women Lakhpati Didis by 2027— the Lakhpati Didi is a central income enhancement initiative for women members of self-help groups. The MVA on its part has the Mahalaxmi scheme, which promises monthly cash aid, and free bus rides among other promises.

Clearly, the parties are refusing to walk the talk. They wish to see women as consumers of politics, who need to be wooed with sops, but not as active players (ANI Photo) (Snehal Sontakke)

This welfare politics is of a piece with the trend of political parties across the country reaching out to women. Such outreach first started in Tamil Nadu in the 1980s and turned out to be a game changer for the AIADMK. West Bengal, Bihar, Delhi, Karnataka, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh have in recent years seen political parties reach out to women voters with tailor-made policies and gain their votes. The trend confirms at least two developments: One, parties now see women as a substantial and influential vote; two, they recognise the agency of women as voters, that their political choices are not necessarily determined by the men in the family.

However, the same parties refuse to treat women as equal actors in electoral politics. The Maharashtra data is revealing. The Mahayuti and MVA together have fielded only 56 women candidates in 288 constituencies — the BJP, Congress, Shiv Sena, and the NCP together fielded 46 women in the 2019 elections. That is, women constitute just about 10% of the candidates of both alliances, which is surprising considering the consensus on women’s reservation in legislatures.

Clearly, the parties are refusing to walk the talk. They wish to see women as consumers of politics, who need to be wooed with sops, but not as active players. There may be structural reasons behind this approach, for electoral politics is influenced by money and muscle, which tends to limit opportunities for women and contributes to misogyny. For instance, the objectification of Shiv Sena (Shinde) candidate NC Shaina, which was roundly condemned by all, including the Election Commission of India, is the fallout when women are reduced to a token presence in electoral politics. The phenomenon is not restricted to Maharashtra, but this disturbing status quo must change.