What Makes Successful
Women Politicians? A Hint From Sugnana
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Tuesday,
27 May 2014 20:12
25Google +0
Whoever thinks that women political leaders can’t survive
the rough and tumble of electioneering and bring in the votes hasn’t met V.
Sugnana Kumari Deo from Odisha. At 77, this senior Biju Janata Dal (BJD)
legislator from Kabisuryanagar constituency in Ganjam district has the uncommon
distinction of being the only woman to have been elected to the state assembly
for a record tenth time in the just concluded elections to the Odisha state
assembly.
What
are the factors that contribute to a consistently good poll performance by some
women leaders, while others fail to make an impact? And can female politicians
in general follow Deo’s lead to improve their success rate? According to Surya
Mishra, a Bhubaneswar-based political analyst, “Our social psyche and male-dominated
political system do not allow a woman to make it to the top. In the Odisha
assembly, many of the women who have been elected this time have either come
from a high social status group, such as Sugnana Kumari Deo and Usha Devi (she
belongs to the royal family), or have previous political experience, like
Pramila Mallick, Snehangini Churia and Sarojini Hembrum. But not to take away
any credit from them, these women have definitely proven their metal. They have
fought hard to find their rightful space in the political sphere. So they are,
in a sense, examples that enable others to hope.”
Women
have tried to break barriers in the 2014 elections. Odisha saw a record number
of female candidates. While some obviously came from influential families, there
was no dearth of aspirants from poor and tribal communities as well. Out of the
115 female candidates, 11 have made it to the state assembly and two have
secured seats in the Lower House of Parliament.
Deo
stands out in this group. She had entered the political space decades ago
following the death of her father-in-law, Rama Chandra Mardaraj Deo, an MLA
from Khallikote assembly constituency. She contested the bye-election on a
Congress Party ticket and won by a comfortable margin. Thereafter, she went on to
win six times in a row, albeit on a non Congress ticket. In all, Deo has
represented Khallikote in the Assembly eight times before she made the shift to
Kabisuryanagar constituency in 2009 as the former became a reserved seat. Her
winning streak has remained untouched.
Being from a royal family didn’t make her political passage
any easier. Deo talks about the various social hurdles she faced on her way to
becoming the people’s politician she is today. “I got married immediately after
I finished Class 12. The journey from my hometown, Madras (now Chennai), was
tough and living in a conservative environment was an even greater challenge.
In those days women from royal families were not allowed to interact freely
with people. But even though my mother-in-law was strict, my father-in-law was
open-minded. With his support I completed my graduation and then did my post
graduation in social work. Again, in spite of the resistance and resentment
shown by my mother-in-law, he backed me up as a political leader,” she reveals.
Once
the decision to step into public life had been taken, she realised that she did
not know the local language. “Not only was wining the confidence of the people
a problem for me because I was a new face but I could not even speak their
language. How was I going to communicate? I took this as a challenge and I
learnt Odiya in just a week. If you have willpower, then nothing is
impossible,” shares this veteran leader.
Steady
governance and a stellar track record of development are the secrets of her
phenomenal success. “You really don’t need any power or position to serve the
people. The only thing you need is the right attitude. When I see my people
suffer I cannot remain a mere bystander. That is what motivates me to work for
them and keeps me on my toes. My constituents know this about me and that is
why I have never had to go asking for votes. My work speaks for itself,” she
adds.
Things have truly changed in the years that Deo has
represented first Khallikote and later Kabisuryanagar. Initially, there was
only one office block in Khallikote town and to approach the administrative
machinery people had to travel from far. Now almost all offices have become
local making the process simpler. Another major concern, the availability of
proper healthcare has been tackled. Hospitals in both constituencies have
competent infrastructure and people don’t have to return home without treatment.
The villages are connected by motorable roads and there are schools with proper
buildings in most areas. Talking to Latika Pradhan, a resident of
Kabisuryanagar, gives a sense of Deo’s popularity among the locals, “She is a
leader in the true sense and aspires to serve her people. We have seen things
turnaround for the better and so we vote for her.”
This
time when Deo wanted to opt out from the poll race citing health reasons, BJD
leader and chief minister, Navin Patnaik gave the ticket to someone else. What
followed this move was days of dharna (sit-in) by scores of Kabisuryanagar
residents outside his residence. In the end, he had to withdraw his decision.
Deo has once again registered a landslide victory.
Another
inspiring woman leader in the state is Snehanginig Churia, 45, who belongs to a
Dalit family. She was elected for the first time from Attabira constituency in
Bargarh district with a huge margin. It’s grassroots politics that has
motivated her to make her mark in public life. With her grandfather and father
serving her village as sarpanch, she too decided to take their work forward.
Being a dalit woman, living in one of the most backward regions of the state
came with its share of problems but Churia was determined. “It was difficult to
gain the acceptance of the people. In 2009, I lost by a narrow margin. But I
did not give up; I continued to work for the community. This time my party
again offered me a ticket to contest and I won,” she says. She has been
given the handloom and textile ministry in the Naveen Patnaik’s government.
“When you enter a male domain, you have to be prepared to struggle every step
of the way. In politics, if you have clarity in mind and purity of heart,
nobody can stop you,” she adds.
There
was certainly no stopping Pramila Mallick, 51, or Sarojini Hembram, who hails
from the tribal dominated Bangiriposi region in Mayurbhanj district. While the
former is a student leader-turned-politician, who has won for the fifth time
from Binjharpur Assembly constituency in Jajpur district, the latter has been
elected as BJD’s Rajya Sabha member. Remarks Mallick, “Though women have
better reach and acceptability as politicians our male counterparts have
yet to accept this reality.” Adds Hembram, “Tribal women don’t feel confident
coming out and demanding their rights. It is the duty of each one of us to help
them. Unfortunately, things won’t come to women automatically. We have to fight
for our share.”
Priya
Ranjan Sahu, a Bhubaneswar-based journalist, comments, “As in other fields,
women are making their presence in politics too. For the first time women are
in double digits in the Assembly. But again when it comes to distribution of
portfolios, women are not picked to head ministries like finance, revenue and
defence. This is the case at the state and national level.”
Where
women’s political participation is concerned there is reason to celebrate as
well as contemplate. While there is no set formula for success, what is clear
is that women are not giving up the chase.
- See more at: http://www.theindianrepublic.com/tbp/makes-successful-women-politicians-hint-sugnana-100037493.html#sthash.VdBv1mIG.dpuf
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