Abysmal Representation Of Women In Himachal Pradesh Politics

In every Himachal Pradesh election, a significantly higher number of women, as compared to men, voted for the parties boosting their chances to the power. Yet when it comes to giving women a chance to join the fight, not many parties see them potential winners.

Women have played a remarkable role in the development, agriculture, rural economy and environment preservation in the hill state. Despite that they don’t find preference over men while candidatures for elections are decided. They unfortunately never have been a choice for key positions in the governance, policy levels, and political parties.

The state is currently in the middle of an intense campaign for four Parliamentary seats, and bypolls for six assembly seats, both slated for June 1 — the last and seventh phase. There is one woman candidate each for Lok Sabha and assembly elections.

Currently, in the 68-member state assembly, there is just one woman member – Reena Kashyap, a two-time BJP MLA from Pacchad (reserve). While Pratibha Singh, the incumbent MP from Mandi, is not in the contest from Mandi this time.

Instead, actress-turned-politician, Kangana Ranaut, BJP’s new entrant to the politics, is fielded from Mandi. She faces the 34-year-old Vikramaditya Singh, currently the PWD minister in the state and late Virbhadra Singh’s son. He inherits political legacy from his father in Mandi and also Rampur-Bushehr, an erstwhile Princely state.

Mandi had elected Rajkumari Amrit Kaur, a freedom fighter, in 1952 when the first Parliamentary election of Independent India was held. She also had the distinction of first health minister of India until 1957, besides holding the charge of Urban Development and Sports Minister. She was reportedly instrumental in setting up the National Institute of Sports, Patiala.

Pratibha Singh, wife of Virbhadra Singh, is the second woman to be elected from Mandi in 2004, 2013 and 2021, also had royal connections like Amrit Kaur.

Notably, the Congress had fielded Anuradha Rana, an educated tribal woman from Lahaul-Spiti in assembly bypolls. She is currently the Zila Parishad chairperson. If Anuradha Rana wins to the assembly bypoll, the number of women MLAs will rise to two.

In 1970s too, the high altitude tribal assembly constituency Lahaul-Spiti was represented by a key political figure Lata Thakur. It took 52 years for the Congress to field another woman after Lata Thakur’s demise in a road accident. Her son, Ravi Thakur, was elected from here in 2022 on the congress ticket. Now, after being disqualified from the assembly, he is contesting on the BJP ticket.

During the 2022 aseembly elections, the BJP had fielded 6 women candidates including three-time cabinet minister Sarveen Chaudhary but only one was elected. Congress gave tickets to three women candidates and all lost.

Asha Kumari, a six-time MLA from Dalhousie, who had also been a minister, says, “It’s sad to see the composition of the House with just one woman MLA and none in the cabinet. Earlier, the Virbhadra Singh cabinet always used to have a woman. Last time it was Vidya Stokes, one of the most gracious women politicians in the state."

“Gender equality in politics is something that has remained a lip-service. The male politicians are not ready to give space to women, deny tickets even to most eligible ones and also create hurdles for them to become MLA or MP, let alone see women get ministerial berths. Secondly, the political climate is so vitiated that women from respectable families or background, don't want to enter the politics," says Asha Kumari, former AICC in-charge for Punjab. She finds the decision of 33 per cent reservation in the state assemblies and Parliament a historic move and much needed one. 

She also feels that senior politicians, occupying positions either in the government or party, see women as a threat and never think of grooming young women politicians, except for those who have experienced their own struggle fighting all hurdles. All in all gender equality, is a rather big casualty in state's politics. 

Himachal Pradesh has a history of seeing some of the women politicians making a big mark in the initial years of the state formation, and also later. 

Sarla Sharma, a fire-brand freedom fighter, who was also lodged in Lahore Jail by the British government, was an elected MLA in the Punjab assembly in 1957; later the first woman MLA of Himachal Pradesh after its formation. She also remained PCC president in 1979. Her daughter Viplove Thakur was a cabinet minister in Virbhadra Singh government. She was also elected to Rajya Sabha twice.

Satyavati Dang was also elected to Rajya Sabha. She was married to Dr Y S Parmar, state’s first Chief Minister. Usha Malhotra, Padma, Shyama Sharma (a minister in Shanta Kumar government), Chandresh Kumari, a union minister and Vidya Stokes are few other veteran women politicians of the state. Anita Verma, Urmil Thakur, Krishana Mohini, Sushma Sharma, Nirmala, Renu Chhada, and Vinod Kumari are some members of the state assembly in the recent past.

Women constitute about 49 per cent of total voters in Himachal Pradesh and their polling percentage in the elections was 77.98 percent in 2017 whereas the same for men was 69.35 per cent.

In 2007, the women voter turn-out was 74.10 per cent compared to 68.36 per cent for men. In 2012, too, 76.20 per cent women voted against 69.35 per cent men.