Major state parties fail to give due representation for women

CHENNAI: The two Dravidian parties that dominate Tamil Nadu’s political scene have taken proactive steps for women’s empowerment but failed to allocate adequate seats to women candidates in the Lok Sabha polls scheduled to be held on April 19.

The ruling DMK has renominated its two sitting women MPs Kanimozhi Karunanidhi (Thoothukudi) and Thamizhachi Thangapandian (Chennai South) and its ally Congress has also fielded two candidates (sitting MP Jothimani S from Karur and R Sudha from Mayiladuthurai). The principal opposition AIADMK has nominated only one woman candidate M Jhansi Rani for Tirunelveli constituency.

BJP-led National Democratic Alliance in the State has nominated six women candidates in the state. BJP has fielded Tamilisai Soundararajan who resigned as Governor of Telangana and Lt Governor of Puducherry in Chennai South and actress Radhika Sarath Kumar in Virudhunagar while PMK has fielded party president Anbumani Ramadoss’s wife Sowmiya in Dharmapuri along with two other woman candidates.

NTK which is contesting alone has fielded 18 women candidates including forest brigand Veerappan’s daughter Vidhya Rani in Krishnagiri.

Centre for Women’s Development and Research director KR Renuka said that it is sad that women’s candidature in the elections is going down over the years. “There is a myth that only men can govern. It is proved wrong by late Prime Minister Indira Gandhi and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa,” she said.

Even though the union government passed the 33 per cent women reservation bill in the Parliament last year, it would be only implemented in 2029 after the delimitation of the constituencies.

Even though women electors outnumber males by nearly 11 lakh votes, the major parties fail to give due representation. Both the DMK and AIADMK have come out with various schemes to lure women voters. AIADMK increased women’s reservation in local bodies to 50 per cent and promised to implement prohibition in a phased manner.

DMK, after coming to power in 2021, launched free travel for women in town buses “Magalir Vidiyal Payanam Thittam” and introduced the Magalir Urimai Thogai scheme to provide Rs 1,000 to over one crore women family heads.

P Suganthi, national vice president of All India Democratic Women Association said that only when 33 per cent of women reservation in the assemblies and the Lok Sabha is implemented, the political parties would be forced to give due representations to women candidates.