Phase 6 of the Uttar Pradesh assembly election concluded on March 3. While there have been many talks about which party will come to power this time around, there is another topic that has been gaining a lot of traction lately. It concerns women’s issues and whether or not these political parties are doing enough to combat the problems they face in the state daily.
Lucknow-based activist Usha Vishwakarma belongs to the camp that feels that women’s rights issues are used as symbols by the political parties. Sometimes, there isn’t enough done to improve the everyday reality of a lot of these women. According to the Outlook, Vishwakarma believes that the real impact of women’s issues on elections can not be quantified only when the new party takes charge, irrespective of who wins.
In Uttar Pradesh, women voters outnumber men, and the political parties have tried to woo these voters in their favour. From 33% reservation in government jobs to the “Kamal Kitty Clubs,” distribution of scooties to grants to female students, the parties have not let go of an opportunity to capitalise on women’s vote. But the question that revolves around people’s minds is, Are these efforts working?
“We were happy under Mayawati. She took care of the poor and oppressed. But now, we all know there are only two options, and none of them cares about us,” Rukhsana Begum of the Kansi Ram colony in Unnao told Outlook.
Key demands
Having one of the highest numbers of rape and sexual violence-related cases in the country, Uttar Pradesh has historically had the notorious image of being unsafe for women. However, in September of 2021, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claimed that UP is now safer for women than it has ever been before. The government under him also launched several schemes like Mission Shakti: 2.0 to promote women’s safety, particularly in rural areas. However, in the interview mentioned before, Shreya from Sitapur City said that while there is no dearth of policies, the implementation has remained far from perfect.
“We want some basic amenities like securing our right to education, work and play. In Machreta, there are no parks or playgrounds. Girls here have to travel for 4-5 kilometres to get to the playground from their villages”, said Shreya when asked about the steps that can be taken to improve conditions. She added that there were no streetlights across vast stretches of roads in Sitapur and that women still had to face harassment from men on multiple occasions. “Netas keep saying women’s safety is their priority. But how will they prevent rapes if they can’t even ensure basic civic needs?” she asked.
Women have voted in large numbers so far in all three phases of polling, and both the Congress and BJP are trying extremely hard to bring these voters into their fold. It is challenging for them to address the issues mentioned above in the earliest possible timeframe.
