Politics has been a domain traditionally held by men not only in India but also in the entire South Asia.

In Karnataka, lack of institutional support from the political parties and the government has irked some women elected representatives. They feel that gender bias rules in politics.

Deccan Herald spoke to some representatives, who were in Bangalore to attend a seminar on ‘Decentralisation and Women Empowerment’ jointly organised by Urban Research Centre and Friedrich Ebert Stiftung.
Here are some excerpts.

“I wholeheartedly worked for my party for years. But when it came to issuing the ticket for the local body elections, it was given to a man ignoring my hard work,” said an upset Sudha, former president of Channapatna Town Municipal Corporation.

Sidelined
Sudha, who is now a practicing advocate in Bangalore, is among many who always cherished the dream of making it big in politics but eventually sidelined by men.

Pushpavalli R, former deputy mayor of Mysore City Corporation narrated a similar tale.

“I was denied the opportunity to contest in the election sometime ago because, strangely, party leaders suspected my capacity to perform well, though I held the position of a deputy mayor previously,” she said.

Both Sudha and Pushpavalli feel that women politicians need the support of other women to succeed.

“If female voters come forward and vote for worthy women candidates during elections, we will not require any reservation in legislature or parliament,” both asserted.

Scapegoats
Pramila Mahadev, former corporator of Doddaballapur, rued that women sometimes become scapegoats in politics.

“Women are not allowed to grow in politics. At times, our own party members conspire against us and make sure that we are neglected in any decision making process. Though we are determined to participate in planning and policy making, we feel helpless as we don’t get opportunities,” she noted.

Besides gender bias, women are handicapped as they lack funds, according to B C Parvatamma, former member of Ramanagar City Municipal Council.

Rarely appreciated
“Women are rarely appreciated as good politicians. Theirs is a thankless job. Women who do selfless service like environmentalist Salumarada Thimmakka are our inspiration. Though we don’t have money power, we will remain unperturbed, come what may,” she stressed.