India reached a historic milestone on September 21, 2023, with the Lok Sabha’s approval of the Women’s Reservation Bill, 2023, in the newly inaugurated Parliament building.
This bill, passed almost unanimously in both houses of Parliament with only two dissenting votes, will ensure that women hold at least 33% of seats in State legislative assemblies and the Lok Sabha. The global significance of this moment was highlighted by then UN Women’s India Country Representative Susan Ferguson, who stated, “India’s bold step sends a clear message to the world that the path to gender equality is not only essential, but attainable.”
However, there are critics like activist K. Ajitha of the Kozhikode-based Anweshi Women’s Counselling Centre, who believe that the adoption of the bill in Parliament was merely an election tactic to attract female voters towards the ruling party.
Despite the approval of the Women’s Reservation Bill, none of the political parties in India have taken steps to implement it when announcing their candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. This trend is also reflected in Kerala, where 50% of seats in local bodies are reserved for women.
The issue of offering Lok Sabha seats to women candidates has always been sensitive in Kerala. Over the past two decades, coalitions have typically offered a maximum of three seats to women candidates, despite the state having 20 Lok Sabha seats which ideally should have seven reserved for women.
For the 2024 polls, the United Democratic Front (UDF) is yet to announce its candidates, but it is expected that the alliance will maintain its incumbent MPs without adding more women candidates. This leaves Ramya Haridas as the only woman candidate from the State in the Lok Sabha under the UDF.
The Left Democratic Front (LDF) has fielded K.K.Shailaja in Vadakara and Annie Raja in Wayanad, while the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has three women candidates: Shobha Surendran in Alappuzha, Nivedita Subrahmanian in Ponnani, and M.L. Ashwini in Kasaragod.
There have been criticisms against the major alliances for strategically deploying women candidates in seats where victory is perceived as unlikely. Activist M.Sulfath pointed out that mainstream political parties often prioritize religious and caste factors when selecting candidates, while neglecting similar considerations for women candidates.