Only 3 women LS MPs since 1952

Pratibha Chauhan

Tribune News Service

Shimla, March 15

Himachal Pradesh has had only three women Lok Sabha MPs since the first election was held in 1952, thereby reflecting the negligible preference given to them in parliamentary polls by political parties in the hill state.

Significantly, all the three women Lok Sabha MPs from Himachal belonged to the Congress and had a royal lineage. However, all three – Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur, who won from Mandi-Mahasu seat in 1952, Chandresh Kumari, who won from Kangra in 1984, and Pratibha Singh, who won from Mandi in 2004 and 2013 bypoll, emerged victorious mainly due to the influence their families wielded and not on their individual strength.

Despite the fact that women constitute 23.35 lakh of the electorate as compared to 24.74 lakh male voters, women have failed to make a mark in the parliamentary polls, primarily because political parties never preferred fielding them. They have only token presence in political arena. Only women who come from established political families were fielded and also won the elections.

Raj Kumari Amrit Kaur belonged to the Kapurthala royal family in Punjab and remained Union Health Minister for a span of 10 years. She was an eminent Gandhian and freedom fighter who co founded the All India Women’s Conference.

Chandresh Kumari, hailing from the Jodhpur royal family in Rajasthan, was married in the Kangra royal family. She has been a member of the Lok Sabha both from Himachal and later from Jodhpur in 2009. She was inducted into the Union Cabinet twice as Minister of State for Tourism in 1984 and later in 2012 as a Cabinet Minister for Cultural Affairs.

Pratibha Singh, wife of former chief minister Virbhadra Singh, won from Mandi Lok Sabha seat twice in 2004 and in a bypoll in 2013.

Efforts by other women like Kamla Kant Batra, mother of Kargil hero Capt Vikram Batra, who jumped into the poll fray as AAP candidate from Hamirpur in 2014 parliamentary polls, did not fructify. She even forfeited her security deposit. This time also barring the name of Dalhousie MLA Asha Kumari, AICC Secretary who is in the reckoning for being fielded from Kangra Lok Sbha segment, candidature of no other women leader is being considered.

As compared to the Lok Sabha, seven women have been elected to the Rajya Sabha from Himachal till date. This includes Lila Devi (1956-62), Mohinder Kaur (1964-67 and 1978-84), Satyavati Dang (1968-74), Usha Malhotra (1980-86), Chandresh Kumari (1996-2000), Viplove Thakur (2006-2012 and 2014 onwards) and Bimla Kashyap (2010-16). Out of them two of them Mohinder Kaur and Viplove Thakur have got two terms in the Upper House of Parliament.

At the same time, participation and winning percentage of women in Vidhan Sabha polls in Himachal has been far better than parliamentary polls.