The Lok Sabha elections 2024 have now spread across India, and Punjab is also not untouched by it. The Politicians battle has intensified on the 13 Lok Sabha seats of the state with the voting to be held on June 1. But this time the battle is giving rise to some important questions – the biggest of them is about the participation of women.
Negligible participation of women in Punjab: What do the figures say?
The five major political parties – Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Congress, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) – have fielded a total of 65 candidates for the total 13 seats in the state. But only 6 of them are women. This figure stands at just 9.2%, which is a matter of concern.
If we look at all 328 candidates – including independent candidates – there are only 26 women. That is, only 7.9%. This figure shows how limited the participation of women in politics has remained, especially when talking about women empowerment is seen in the priorities of every party.
Who brought how many women in the fray?
Now if we analyze which political parties gave tickets to how many women, the picture becomes even clearer.
- BJP has given tickets to the maximum number of three women this time.
- Congress has fielded two women.
- Akali Dal (SAD) gave a chance to only one woman.
- Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have not given tickets to a single woman candidate.
It is important to note here that the Aam Aadmi Party, which calls itself the face of new politics, not giving tickets to women can raise questions for many voters.
The picture does not change with just faces
Preeti Kaur, the BJP candidate from Patiala, received strong support from the public in the election roadshow, but can giving tickets to a few faces be considered a concrete step towards women empowerment? This is the real question.
This kind of participation looks superficial when this number is reduced to single digits. When half the population does not get representation in politics, it points to the incompleteness of democracy.
What are the reasons behind this?
It is often seen in political parties that only election winning candidates are given priority, and unfortunately even today women are considered weak from this point of view.
Apart from this, the participation of women in the party structure is already low – not only in policy making, but also at the grassroots level. Due to this, their leadership does not get a full chance to emerge.
When women enter the field, they prove to be effective
History is witness that whenever women have got an opportunity, they have not only given strong leadership, but have also played an important role in the development of society. Be it Indira Gandhi or the current women MPs or ministers of various states – they have proved that leadership ability is not based on gender.
Need and possibilities of change
Now the time has come that political parties should not limit themselves to only promises and announcements, but promote women candidates at the grassroots level. For this it is necessary:
- Training and leadership development programs should be started for women.
- Reservation should not be kept only on paper, but should also be implemented in ticket distribution.
- Women voters should also vote for such candidates who give priority to women participation.
Conclusion: Democracy is complete only when representation is equal
In an aware state like Punjab, where women have made their mark in education, sports and other fields, their low participation in politics is a matter of concern for democracy. This is not just about one state, but is a reflection of the politics of the entire country.
Political parties now need to think seriously in this direction. Change will come not only with slogans, but only with concrete steps. And that will be possible only when we work towards giving “leadership, not representation to women.
