The Hindu Business Line : Winning ways

When Dr Khazana Aziz, 25, was preparing for her visit to Delhi, as a first-time municipal corporator from Srinagar, she received a note warning her of dire consequences if she didn't cancel her visit. Although she was shaken, she refused to bow to the threat. She had been able to withstand the threats she received whilst campaigning and still win the election.

Khazana is one of the 60 women municipal corporators who braved militant threats and grenade attacks to contest civic polls held in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) in February this year after a gap of 25 years. These women come from different social, economic and educational backgrounds. They have different political affiliations. Yet, they all have a common goal — to make a difference to the lives of the people in their State.

So, whether it is 18-year-old Mehjabeen Pathan of the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP), the youngest of them, or Raja Begum of the National Conference (NC), the oldest at 56 years; whether it is Sheila Handoo of the Bharatiya Janata Party or Namrata Sharma of the Indian National Congress, these women corporators prioritise basic issues like health, education, roads and employment.

Although these corporators are determined to overcome the roadblocks to development — paucity of corporation resources being a major problem — standing up to militant threats remains their biggest challenge.

Thirty women councillors from the State — who were in New Delhi recently to meet President Dr A.P.J. Abdul Kalam and Chairperson of the ruling coalition, Sonia Gandhi — discussed these and other challenges they face. The meeting, organised by Women's Political Watch, a resource centre, also included discussions on the changing power equations brought on by the election of women to the local bodies and its implications for political transformation in J&K.

Says Veena Nayyar, president of Women's Political Watch: "The bravery of these women needs to be celebrated. Women have been missing from decision-making and their experiences, concerns and aspirations have not been part of governance. But now, with the election of so many women at the first tier of democracy, which is closest to the daily lives of people, we will see the women's perspective in J&K. These women are to be doubly congratulated because the very fact that they contested shows great courage. And the fact that they grasped the opportunity, knowing the risks, is an indication that women are ready for any challenge."

When J&K Chief Minister Mufti Mohammed Sayeed announced municipal elections, few expected a big voter turnout and even fewer expected the participation of women. But these elections overturned all expectations and predictions. Not only was the number of women candidates unprecedented (934 of the total 3,084 candidates contesting for the 823 seats were women), but also areas that had previously recorded zero or negligible voter turnout witnessed 89 per cent polling.

"We were confident that the people would respond positively to the opportunity to elect their representatives," says Mehbooba Mufti, president of the PDP. "I have seen the mood of the people change. They want peace and a better life."

Mehbooba, who escaped two assassination bids while campaigning, asserts that one of the major reasons for such a large turnout of women was the constitutional amendment reserving one-third seats for women. "Not only did this impact positively on women but it also encouraged them to exercise their franchise, something they had been afraid to do all these years," she contends.

The militants' pronouncement that women should stay at home instead of fighting elections did not deter the candidates. Says Shamima Dar of the NC: "I accepted the challenge because I didn't want the next generation to witness the militancy and terror that we have for the last 15 years. I went from door to door seeking the people's support. I told them that my objective was to help them lead a better life. Now that they have elected me, I am trying to do my best to solve their problems, whether it is related to health or education."

A different motivation spurred Khazana, also of the NC. A doctor, she was distressed at the large number of patients suffering from trauma due to bereavement over lost family members or due to loss of jobs. "These people have nothing to look forward to," she says.

Although Mehjabeen belongs to the PDP, a rival political party, she shares Khazana's sentiment. Mehjabeen is still in school. "I had always wanted to join politics, although no one from my family is in politics. PDP President Mehbooba Mufti is my role model. When she saw my application, she asked me why I wanted to contest at such a young age. I told her that if she could do so well in politics despite all odds, I was ready to face all challenges in order to serve the people."

Mehjabeen's persuasive powers helped her win over not only the PDP and her family, but even her school principal, who granted her leave from school whenever required. In fact, the principal has arranged for tutors to teach her at home, so she can continue her studies while fulfilling her political responsibilities.

While the women corporators have supporters in many quarters, and are yet to face any opposition from their male counterpart, the going is not smooth. They have been unable to get the government machinery to respond to their requests. Their projects, therefore, are still in the pipeline. "This is the first time so many women have been elected. I think it is taking time for them to accept us," says Rani Boloria, deputy mayor, Jammu Municipal Corporation (JMC).

Rani, the first woman corporator in JMC, says that when women participated in the earlier elections, militants would record their activities on video and target them. "Many of us do receive threats. But we are determined to continue our work if we are given security, proper training and the financial resources," she avers.

After many decades, women in J&K stand at the threshold of history. Whether or not they succeed will depend on how true they remain to the promises they made to the people.

Women's Feature Service

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