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In the quietude away from the Lok Sabha election fervour, Alka Kamble dedicates herself to daily chores. With 25 years of public service and a reputation as an efficient sarpanch in Yavatmal district, she stands as an unsung hero on the district’s political landscape.
Known for her efficient leadership of the remote Waghapur-Lasina village panchayat and her evident acumen, she remains a hidden gem on the political landscape, resigned to the belief that she may never have the opportunity to contest Assembly or Lok Sabha elections. “I want to contest for the Lok Sabha,” she asserts, “but which party would offer me candidacy? I lack the financial resources and I’m a woman outside the political dynasty.”
Similarly, the tale of Kantatai Ichke from Upali village in Beed resonates with defiance against corruption. Despite rallying the villagers against corrupt politicians, all parties united to ensure her defeat in local elections.
Arachana Jatkar faced a similar fate in Pokhari, Yavatmal, where male politicians expected her to be a mere figurehead, running the village administration in her name. Her refusal to be a mere puppet led to the sabotage of her political aspirations by village politicians.
Lost leaders
The journey of grassroots women leaders, empowered by the 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments providing one-third reservation in panchayats, is fraught with challenges. Many women who contest elections from reserved seats do not return to political life after their term ends.
Sunita Lohar from Satara, a former sarpanch, laments, “Women with leadership potential and ambitions in politics often do not reach their goals because electoral politics is not solely about leadership skills, hard work, and honesty. It often hinges on familial ties.”
In 2019, 20-year-old Vaishali Yede, whose farmer husband Sudhakar ended his life after failing to repay the debt because of repeated crop failures, contested Lok Sabha elections from her hometown Yavatmal — Washim, which falls in the region in Maharashtra where there has been a spate of suicides by farmers for years. With very limited resources she campaigned on the issue of agrarian distress, but received only 20,000 votes against Bhavana Gawali who comes from a dominant political family in the region.
Dynasties Dominate
In the 2019 Maharashtra elections, the State elected eight women MPs, all from political dynasties. This includes Bhavana Gawali (Shiv Sena), daughter of late Shiv Sena MP Pundlik Gawli; Supriya Sule (NCP), daughter of NCP President Sharad Pawar; Pritam Munde (BJP), daughter of late BJP leader Gopinath Munde; Raksha Khadse (BJP), daughter-in-law of former BJP leader and now NCP MLC Eknath Khadse; Bharati Pawar (BJP), daughter-in-law of NCP leader, the late AT Pawar; Poonam Mahajan (BJP), daughter of late BJP leader Pramod Mahajan; Navneet Rana (independent), wife of MLA Ravi Rana; and Heena Gavit (BJP), daughter of Vijaykumar Gavit, a former minister and BJP leader.
“In India’s political realm, where familial legacies often overshadow the tenacity and resolve of grassroots women leaders, underscore the formidable hurdles they encounter in carving out their political niche. The complexities of gender, class, caste, economic status and political background significantly shape their electoral journey,” says Vikas Kamble, an activist working with grassroots women leaders in Maharashtra.
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