Women Empowerment should not be mere slogan! All political parties should give tickets to 33% women in parliamentary polls

March is the month of International Womens Day. 8th March is the day celebrated as IWD worldwide to recognise the women power and empower them further so that they walk on equal footing with their male counterparts in every segment n sector, government n private.

India is a rural dominated country where still more than 60 percent of the populace live in villages under extreme challenging n odd situations still devoid of quality education, health priorities and other basic avenues of existence.

Therefore the rural women is still lacking fruits of power and basic amneties.

In India, women comprise fifty percent of the total population and are pronounced as Aadhi Abaadi and is still a vulnerable lot.

But despite being is such a formidable number, playing a most pivotal role in local bodies n also electing governments in states n centre , they are still lagging far behind in the male dominated society.

After India’s independence, however, women community has made tremendous strides in the socio economic n political development of the country by being the president, prime minister, union n state ministers, speakers in parliament n state assemblies n in significant positions in various other sectors of the country but still lot n lot more needs to be done to empower women at the states n decentralised levels, poitically.

Unless the women will not be armed politically in the major decision making bodies and elected as MPs, MLAs, in Panchayats, municipalities n the local bodies just talking about empowering them on International Womens’ Day n during elections to derive votes of the women community will be rated as a mere hypocritical move or effort n betrayal of half of the country’s descisive poulation.

The Congress party n its previous chief Sonia Gandhi is the first women leader of the country who’d honestly n transparently stood with the women of the country and took the credible initiative of introducing it in the Lok Sabha. It was passed in the Lok Sabha after tremendous efforts with lots of hiccups from the Samajwadi party n RJD etc. but could not be ratified in the Rajya Sabha.

However, the Congress’s chief Rahul Gandhi has assured the electorates of the country that his party will do the needful if it is elected to power at the centre.

The fact of the matter is : unless the political parties at the centre and states who talk so much about reservation do not accord tickets to 33% women in parliamentary or state assembly elections talking of empowering women socio politically n economically would be just an exercise in futility.

The Biju Janata Dal of Orissa, being ruled by its leader Navin Patnaik deserves to be complimented for giving 33% tickets to women members of his party in the ensuing general elections.
There are 21 seats of parliament from Orissa and Navin Patnayak primises to give 7 or 8 tickets to women candidates from his party.

This is indeed a highly welcome pro women decision. Similarly if all the political parties like BJP, Congress n other Mahagathbandhan partners do so including the regional ones’ the day would not be far when both the houses of Indian parliament would have 33% elected women MPs who will design laws for women’s benficience and well being thus further empowering them to the hilt.

Naveen Patnaik’s father late Biju Patnaik who was also the chief minister of Orissa for several terms had also introduced thirty three percent reservation for women in Panchayati institutions which was further enhanced to fify percent by the former.

Empowering women politically in the major decision making bodies is the need of the hour as women’s turnout has actually been higher than that of men in two thirds of the Indian state elections.

All the political parties of the country should emulate the example of Orissa chief minister Navin Patnaik by reserving half of the seats if not that then at least 33% for the women members of their respective parties, especially those hailing from the lowest ebb, backward, economically deprived n distressed castes, classes or communities of the society.

It would be in the fitness of things if political parties n its leaders in order to strengthen the quality of polity n governance choose women candidates carrying a blot free and appreciable track record not preferring those who come up with money power or political family backgrounds.

The proficient women having worked hard at the grassroot levels for long period of time with impeccable credibility overlapping all kinds of hurdles should be groomed n encouraged to become able women leaders of tomorrow. What’s your take friends?