Poor representation has put women’s issues on back burner
31 Jan 2015 6:26 AM IST
Though, Rs 1,000 crore Nirbhaya fund has not been utilised for the purpose it was created, but the two-year-old ‘brutal’ gang-rape incident is still alive in the poll planks of almost every political party, who are in the fray for the February 7 Delhi assembly election. The debate that is currently roiling the country is how to put a check on such tragedies, when there is no adequate representation of women in Parliament and state assemblies?
The representation of women in Delhi assembly since its inception is self explanatory as why not any path breaking legislations were passed. Shockingly, only 26 women legislators have represented in Delhi assembly from the time of its formation in 1993. Given the fact the Delhi assembly has total strength of 70 assembly seats but representation of the fairer sex in the assembly is just 7.4 per cent. There were 324 male legislators out of total 350 members in the last five assembly elections.
According to Delhi Election Commission data, the Delhi legislative assembly witnessed maximum number of women representation during its second and third term, when Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister of the Capital.
In the second term which was from 1998 to 2003, there were 10 women representatives, which is maximum representation of women in Delhi assembly. Among the noted faces that were the part of the second term of Delhi assembly include Sushma Swaraj, the incumbent External Affairs Minister in the Modi government at the Centre.
Swaraj had entered the Delhi assembly from Hauz Khas seat defeating Kiran Walia of Congress. Following Swaraj’s resignation to play a bigger role at Centre in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Walia won the seat for her party in 1999. Others who represented second term were Sheila Dikshit, Anjali Rai, Krishna Tirath, Meera Bhardwaj, Sushila Devi, Darshana, Kiran Chaudhary and Tajdar Babbar alias Mummyji from Minto Road.
In comparison to the second term, women MLAs in the third session of Delhi assembly (2003 to 2008), Barkha Singh was the only new entrant out of seven elected women members. Singh entered into assembly after winning RK Puram seat. Rest other women representatives remained same excluding Darshana, Kiran Chaudhary and Sushila Devi. Interestingly, three Delhi assembly terms i.e first (1993 to 1998), fourth (2008 to 2013) and fifth (2013 to 2015) witnessed only three women representatives each.
The women members, who became part of the first Delhi assembly, include Krishna Tirath, who had won Baljit Nagar seat for Congress, Purnima Sethi, who had won Kalkaji seat for BJP and Sethi was sworn in as the first woman minister of the Delhi government, and Tajdar Babbar. Its worth mentioning here that Tirath has joined BJP and contesting from Patel Nagar seat in February 7 poll.
In the fourth Delhi assembly, all the three women members belonged to Congress, while in the fifth term of Delhi legislative House all the three members were of AAP, a new outfit led by Arvind Kejriwal. The women legislators of fourth assembly were Sheila Dikshit, Kiran Walia and Barkha Singh, while members of fifth assembly were Bandana Kumari (Shalimar Bagh), Rakhi Bidlan (Mangolpuri) and Veena Anand (Patel Nagar).
The representation of women in Delhi assembly since its inception is self explanatory as why not any path breaking legislations were passed. Shockingly, only 26 women legislators have represented in Delhi assembly from the time of its formation in 1993. Given the fact the Delhi assembly has total strength of 70 assembly seats but representation of the fairer sex in the assembly is just 7.4 per cent. There were 324 male legislators out of total 350 members in the last five assembly elections.
According to Delhi Election Commission data, the Delhi legislative assembly witnessed maximum number of women representation during its second and third term, when Sheila Dikshit was the Chief Minister of the Capital.
In the second term which was from 1998 to 2003, there were 10 women representatives, which is maximum representation of women in Delhi assembly. Among the noted faces that were the part of the second term of Delhi assembly include Sushma Swaraj, the incumbent External Affairs Minister in the Modi government at the Centre.
Swaraj had entered the Delhi assembly from Hauz Khas seat defeating Kiran Walia of Congress. Following Swaraj’s resignation to play a bigger role at Centre in the Atal Bihari Vajpayee government, Walia won the seat for her party in 1999. Others who represented second term were Sheila Dikshit, Anjali Rai, Krishna Tirath, Meera Bhardwaj, Sushila Devi, Darshana, Kiran Chaudhary and Tajdar Babbar alias Mummyji from Minto Road.
In comparison to the second term, women MLAs in the third session of Delhi assembly (2003 to 2008), Barkha Singh was the only new entrant out of seven elected women members. Singh entered into assembly after winning RK Puram seat. Rest other women representatives remained same excluding Darshana, Kiran Chaudhary and Sushila Devi. Interestingly, three Delhi assembly terms i.e first (1993 to 1998), fourth (2008 to 2013) and fifth (2013 to 2015) witnessed only three women representatives each.
The women members, who became part of the first Delhi assembly, include Krishna Tirath, who had won Baljit Nagar seat for Congress, Purnima Sethi, who had won Kalkaji seat for BJP and Sethi was sworn in as the first woman minister of the Delhi government, and Tajdar Babbar. Its worth mentioning here that Tirath has joined BJP and contesting from Patel Nagar seat in February 7 poll.
In the fourth Delhi assembly, all the three women members belonged to Congress, while in the fifth term of Delhi legislative House all the three members were of AAP, a new outfit led by Arvind Kejriwal. The women legislators of fourth assembly were Sheila Dikshit, Kiran Walia and Barkha Singh, while members of fifth assembly were Bandana Kumari (Shalimar Bagh), Rakhi Bidlan (Mangolpuri) and Veena Anand (Patel Nagar).
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