Other States - Orissa   

‘Women leadership at receiving end’

BHUBANESWAR: Anjana Dehury was a popular candidate in her gram panchayat in Keonjhar district when she stood for the post of sarpanch in the panchayat election of 2007. However, it was not acceptable to her husband that she should enter the election fray. The consequence was that Anjana was killed by her spouse.

Fifty-five year Dalimba Sahu was elected ward member uncontested in her village in Kalahandi district. But she faced an unimaginable pressure to cast her vote for the election of naib sarpanch. When Dalimba refused to buckle under pressure, she was kidnapped and kept captive for five days away from her family.

These women were not isolated cases. To exert pressure on many women candidates during panchayat election in 2007, violent means were applied rampantly.

As per the study conducted by city-based voluntary organization People’s Cultural Centre (PECUC) in collaboration with The Hunger Project, women leadership was increasingly at receiving end as ‘power-hungry’ male members did not accept them on a par.

The report documented at least 10 such cases. More than a decade ago, Orissa pioneered in the country by providing 33 per cent reservation for women in local self-governance system. However, the desired aim of empowering women was far from being achieved.

“Though reservation has made women able to participate in the electoral process of the local self-governance system in a larger way, women leadership has come under immense pressure due to the criminalising panchayat elections including harassment and murder,” secretary of PECUC Ranjan Mohanty said at workshop on “Women and Panchayati Raj” held here on Saturday.

The study suggested that it was perfect time to assess the impact of women’s entry into formal structure of government after their larger participation was ensured in 1994.

Pointing out that the percentage of women at various levels of political activities increased dramatically, the study said women were still not able to exercise their power, in many cases they were just rubber stamps either in the hands of their family members or in the hand of their senior party leaders.

There was a need to build environment for women and elected women Panchayati Raj Institution functionaries for active, free and meaningful participation in the electoral process, it recommended.

The study emphasised massive awareness programmes for women on panchayat raj system, which would enable them to understand the system properly and act efficiently.

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