Will reservation help women in UP politics?

Arun Chaubey

If we look at women’s participation in the politics of Uttar Pradesh it is either in the glorious chapter of the past or it ends with the aggressive politics of Mayawati. In the past, the state has had the distinction of having Sarojini Naidu as the first woman Governor and Sucheta Kriplani as the first woman Chief Minister in independent India. The fact is that no Chief Minister since Sucheta Kriplani, whose tenure ended in March 1967, has completed tenure in the state. Although the state repeatedly sent late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi from Rai Bareli, it has failed to produce a crop of women leaders. Barring offcourse Sonia Gandhi, who has followed the footsteps of her mother-in-law. With her ‘renunciation’ of the top of the country post she has distinguished herself from the common ilk of politicians but she too has failed to give maximum representation to women in the party she is heading now. Undoubtedly, Mayawati is the beacon among women politicians of Uttar Pradesh. Despite her birth in a Dalit family, Mayawati’s rise in state politics has been phenomenal. Under the patronage of the Dalit ideologue and the founder of the Bahujan Samaj Party, Kanshi Ram she has grown into a household name. Making UP her base, she has emerged one of the most prominent leaders of Dalit masses in the country. This too on her own merit and poitical astuteness. Although she has courted controversy in the past for her vitriolic remarks about Forward Castes, she has mellowed down with passage of time. By giving 86 seats to Forward Castes in this assembly elections, she has measured up to her slogan of taking along ‘Sarva Samaj’ – all segments of society. In her new avatar, she has shrewdly tried to expand the BSP’s base among Forward Castes and Muslims while maintaining her traditional Dalit vote bank. If we look at partywise situation in state politics, in the last election the Samajwadi Party gave tickets to 26 women candidates, of which 12 won, and after midterm polls the number has increaded to 15. The BSP fielded 15 candidates, won six, but has reduced to only three. The BJP fielded 31 and won 6, now has 7, while Congress gave tickets to 32 women, but could win only one seat. After Amita Singh’s defection to Congress, the party has two women MLAs. The RLD had also fielded two women candidates and won one seat. Since the state's record on women's rights is very poor, women’s participation in the state politic and decision-making bodies is a key concern. Nearly half of all reports of human rights violation filed with the National Human Rights Commission are from Uttar Pradesh, besides the state accounts for the largest number of crimes against women in the country. Amidst this scenario, women politicians face problems in their political life totally unknown to their male counterparts. Since the first elections in 1952 after independence, majority of women legislators have come from political background and belong to educated and economically well off families. Congress MLA from Kaimganj Louis Khursheed is in the state assembly bur is hardly seen or heard. Her husband Salman Khurshen is a senior Congress leader and now heads the state Congress. One prominent woman face from the state is Begum Noor Bano, who failed to win Rampur Lok Sabha seat in the general elections 2004. Amita Singh was earlier with the BJP but after her husband Sanjay Singh rejoined the Congress, she too followed suit. She won the Amethi assembly seat in the byelection after sumbitting resignation from the same seat. She appears merely a shadow of her husband. In the Communist parties, veteran CPM leader Subhasini Ali once used to be a fiery face. She came to political forefront when she raised the issue the closure of cotton mills in Kanpur, and cited the plight of the labourers of Dala cement factory after its closure. Her historic protest in front of Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow in still fresh in the memory of people. But she too faded in the emerging caste politics of the state and her party too has failed to put her on the forefront of state politics. In western part of the state, BJP’s Premlata Katiyar has represented the people of Kalyanpur assembly, but she is yet to make a mark in the organisation as well as in state politics. RLD’s Anuradha Choudhary, who won from Baghra assembly seat, and later submitted her resignation in May 2004 and was elected to Rajya Sabha, is a much discussed leader because of her ability to manage her place in the party. With her closeness to the party chief, Ajit Singh, she has been involved in fund raising and cobbling alliances. If we look at the grassroots level of politics, barring Phoolan Devi, SP MP from Bhadohi, no one has been able to earn that kind of fame in the recent past. Besides, in state politcs one can see the cosmetic faces of Jaya Prada and Jaya Bachchan, who due to their lack of political maturity have failed to make a mark. They are only showpieces winessed during election rallies as well as other fora. It is evident that low numerical strength of women has hampered their participation in discussions and assembly proceedings. Women’s reservation in the legislatures of the Centre and states will ensure greater participation of women in state politics.