Introduction
The Rajasthan Panchayat Act was enacted in 1953 and the Rajasthan Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads Act were enacted in 1959 to decentralise power, that is, to have a three-tier structure of local self-governing bodies at district, block and village levels. The 73rd Amendment of the Constitution of India in 1994 gave Panchayat Raj Institutions (PRIs) constitutional status, it also mandated the reservation of one-third of seats for women in PRIs such as Gram Panchayats, Panchayat Samitis, Zila Parishads; Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act (RPRA) of 1994 defined their functions, powers, and responsibilities. Later, Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Rules, 1996 were incorporated there under. The Rajasthan Panchayat Raj (Amendment) Bill, 2021, was introduced in the Rajasthan Assembly on Feb 25, 2021, amending the RPRA, 1994.
Objectives
Book cover: Seeking the Questions: Field Notes from Rural India, edited by Anuradha Raman, Bijoy Basant Patro and Biraj Patnaik. Source: NFI
- To understand the voting behaviour of women living in rural areas.
- To understand how efficiently the Elected Women Representatives (EWRs) have been running the office.
- The role of education, traditions and Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) present in the state behind women participating and representing in such a way.
Research questions
- The factors considered by women behind voting for a particular party or candidate. How independent have women been while voting for a party/ candidate?
- The factors which helped or hindered women from representing (contesting and holding the position) in the elections at the panchayat level.
- The role of NGOs in assisting the women by training them so that they conduct the office at their best.
Respondents and their background
To meet the demands of the research, people from diverse professional fields specially those who work at ground level were interviewed like Mahatma Gandhi Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA) mates, Anganwadi teachers, Ward Panch (including Upa- Sarpanch), Sarpanch, Gram Saathins, Accredited Social Health Activist (ASHA) workers, Female health worker (mahila swasthya karyakarta), Sachiv, Delegate (Panchayati Samiti), Ward Parshad, Government School Teachers and Principals, Booth Level Officers (BLOs), Block Development Officer (BDO), Pradhan, Jilla Pramukh (Zila Parishad).
The sample consists of 105 voters (both women and men) from various communities like Berva, Bhil, Brahmin, Chippa, Gameti, Gharasiya, Gurjar, Jaiswal, Jat, Kaanchi, Kataria, Kumar, Lohar, Mali, Pathan, Prajapat, Rajput, Regar, Saalvi, Sen, Sultar, Suwalka, Vaishnav, Valmiki, and Vyas. Ten Focussed Group Discussions (FGDs) at various different sites like MGNREGA sites, parents of students studying at an education centre run by Jan Chetna NGO, women at a panchayat office, working women at one of the respondent’s homes and one FGD with ASHA workers and female health officer were conducted giving insights into how things work at the ground level.
Findings and Discussion
When it comes to political participation, women and men were found to be equally interested in exercising their vote, that is, reaching the polling booth and clicking on a button on the Electronic Voting Machine (EVM). The practice of voting holds large importance for these people as they go on saying, ‘‘vote dena dharam hai, vote ko ghar pe thodi rakhenge, vote dena hi hai chaahe kisi tarah ka chunav ho, bina kaam ka kyun gamaayenge, ek vote se bhi haare-jaate, vote karne se hi hum nagarik kehlate hain, vote dene se jeetne wale toh khush ho jayenge’’, etc.
Also read: What Does It Say About India’s Democracy When EVMs Overshadow Key Polls Issues?
At one of the FGDs at a MGNREGA site, respondents shared how the representatives become inactive after assuming office, a usual case about the working of elected representatives, ‘‘ek din haath joda, paanch saal hum ko jodna pad raha hai (they will fold their hands for one day asking for votes, after which we have been folding our hands for five years requesting them to work).”
“Voting is mandatory”, this sentence has been socially embedded into the minds of the people, and the old voters hardly missed the opportunity to vote. One of the reasons behind it can be the “ease of transportation” as few respondents revealed that some party people send vehicles to the localities of the voters which not only pick the voters and take them to polling booths but also drop all of them back to their respective places once they cast their vote without charging a single rupee.
Almost all of the married women voters got their voter ID after moving to sasural with the help of local Booth Level Officers (BLO) who are teachers at the nearest government school.
The right to vote is exercised in many ways by women, namely, exercising it at the individual level, that is, voting for the party/candidate the voter wishes for and secondly, exercising it at the collective level, that is, voting to the party/ candidate after discussing it with fellow voters or without participating in any kind of discussion as such and voting to the party/ candidate only because the voter was told by her spouse/ the family members at her sasural, or the following the fellow villagers, or one is obliged to vote for them because the voter comes from a particular caste/community or religion. Women have been exercising their right to vote but not on their terms. Married women following the traditional gender roles have been confined to four walls of the house and are not allowed to work (professionally) outside. During an FGD in Palra panchayat, ASHA worker Meena Sharma said “Aurat ko Lakshmi bol ke sasural le aate h, fir Bai banate hai, wo Lakshmi Bai ban jaati hai (a woman is brought to in laws house calling her as Goddess Lakshmi, then make her a maid, she turns into a Lakshmi Bai).” Since women lack exposure of the outside world unlike men who work outside, and it is unlikely that women discuss politics when they meet fellow women. It was found that women hardly attend any party campaigns.
ONE FAMILY ONE VOTE (OFOV): Most of the respondents revealed that all of the family members in their family vote for the same party/ candidate. Raipur block’s resident and two time elected (and served) male ward panch said, “there should be unity at home and members of the family should vote for the same party, otherwise outsiders will say hume bolne se pehle ghar ka chalao, sab ka same party mein vote karwao (first make your family members to vote for the same party before teaching us what to do)” and, “log bolenge ki ghar pe do alag party hai (people say his house supports 2 parties).”
When asked, who leads this unity at his home, he replied, “ghar pe badha hu toh meri hi chalni chaave (since I am the eldest in my home, the rest of the family members obey my words)”.
Looking Within the Ballot Paper
A few respondents did not disclose/hesitated to disclose their voting choice, while some disclosed with pride. When we look at the voting behaviour of women in the last elections (Vidhan Sabha 2023, Lok Sabha 2024, Panchayat elections 2019), almost all of the respondents have been voting for the same party (some for x party, some for y party, etc.) for ages now. Very few have voted for different parties and rarely people have voted for independent candidates. The people have been voting for one particular party because its party symbol resonates with their lives or simply, it is the duty of the voter to vote for it since they follow a particular religion. Many of the employed women voters vote for a particular party assuming they will provide them with better incentives, and better salaries if they come into power.
Women who disclosed/didn’t disclose their political choice (in %). Source: National Foundation for India
Looking Beyond the Ballot Paper
An Anganwadi teacher stressed the importance of being a working woman which lets her know about the outside world and informs her voting choice. Many of the women who have been voting under the influence of their family members were pressured to vote for a particular party. While some did admit it, many did not.
The one-sided political discussions at home
In most cases, the couple discuss politics with each other irrespective of the election time while some discuss only before the commencement of elections, others do not. In almost all of the cases, in the sasural, the married women are not supposed to talk in front of her sasur (father-in-law), jeth (elder brother of husband), sometimes even with her saas (mother-in-law). At one of FGDs held with 10 women, when asked about the environment at their home on the eve of the voting day, a woman shared laughingly what her husband told her “jaldi jaake line mein khade ho jao, nahi toh line lambi ho jayegi (get in the queue early, otherwise the line/ queue will become longer).”
Surprisingly, many of the women voters could not exactly name the candidate representing the political party they voted for, they were only aware of the party symbol and the party’s name. Most of the women were not aware of the option None Of The Above (NOTA) while few of them were told/educated about it by the local BLO, family members, and by fellow women. Many of them could not name more than two political parties in India.
Respondents who are familiar with NOTA option in EVMs. Source: National Foundation for India
Women understand the idea of secret ballot
Some of the women revealed that they vote for the party/ candidate they wish to despite being told or pressured by their family member(s) to vote for the different one. They went on to say, “Since it is a secret ballot and their family members will not be there to cross-check whether she was voting for the party she was asked to or not”, while another woman said, “Suno sabki, karo manki (listen to all, do what your heart says).”
When it comes to the political participation of women, empowerment managed to bring more women into politics on paper but not their voices, or opinions. The previous panchayat election was held in 2019, followed by the years of COVID lockdown, giving the representatives less time comparatively to solve the issues of the panchayat. The panchayat office conducts at least two meetings with its ward members, preferably on the 5th and 20th of every month. They discuss the complaints given by the villagers like insufficient drinking water, poor functioning of street lights, installation of handpumps, CC road, infrastructure in government schools, etc.
Also read: Women Voters, Welfare Schemes and Star Campaigners: The Prime Factors in Sambalpur Lok Sabha Contest
The seats are reserved for candidates coming from different communities and genders. Often, the holistic development of the panchayat and the welfare of all communities is ignored, but when a person from a marginalised community comes into power whose area’s development has been neglected will be looked after during his/ her tenure.
A few reasons why women have been contesting (and serving) the elections are:
- They want to work for their village, for their panchayat and many times, get full support from the people.
- Some married women were compelled to contest by the family, especially the male members because for that particular position in that particular election, only a woman (coming from a particular community) can contest for that post (ward panch/ sarpanch), making the situation a blend of class, caste, and gender. This is followed by the family campaigning for the woman and after she has won, her new responsibility is to only sign the documents and sometimes to attend panchayat meetings, otherwise, it is the woman’s husband or father-in-law who does her job, he assumes both the power and the position at the office. The familiarity factor plays a major role here, for instance, a male candidate who has already served as ward panch/ sarpanch is familiar with the people, and the functioning of the panchayat system. This makes the task easier for him while making the woman contest, that is, she contests in the name of her husband, and his previous work. A female respondent in Raipur tehsil who is currently serving as Up-Sarpanch (deputy sarpanch), recalling the 2019 panchayat elections said “pati ke naam se khade thay, tho jeet gaye (I contested in the name of my husband, so I won)’. Many of the EWRs could not answer the questions put to them, as they were less mindful of the affairs of their village/ panchayat. They were already busy being a homemaker and would prioritise the latter over the panchayat/ward’s work. They had vague knowledge about the working of the panchayat system, the responsibilities of a ward panch/sarpanch, and the candidacy criteria to contest elections. When asked whether they would like to contest again, half of the inactive EWRs clearly said yes while the active EWRs were aspiring to contest for higher positions like sarpanch, delegate, etc.
The panchayat meetings within the panchayat office are not efficient. In most cases, there is no direct interaction between the men and women representatives, women ward panch do not utter a word, and while wearing the ghoonghat (veil) they do not express themselves in their own workplace. The rigid gender roles and expectations trap women.
Most of the married women, as young girls have pursued some sort of education in their early years – some quit because they lacked interest in studies, and some were forced to quit either to help family members at home, to look after household chores, agricultural field work or simply because the secondary school and senior secondary school is far away from home. Remembering her school days, Rekha Kumari, Sarpanch of Nichlagarh, Abu Road shared an anecdote of her time when she started going to school a bit late, “Log bolte thay, ab ladki badi ho gayi, ab kya karegi padh ke, baad mey sasural hi jaayegi (people said, now since the girl has grown up, what will she do by studying, later she has to go to sasural).”
Seasonal employment can be observed all across Rajasthan as men usually migrate to other states in search of work. The Rajasthan government gives reservations to women to work as mate at MGNREGA sites. The Rajasthan Grameen Aajeevika Vikas Parishad (RGAVP) or Rajivika, an autonomous society established in 2010 by the Rajasthan Government employs mostly women (from girls attending college to middle-aged working women). This enables women to not only be financially independent but also teaches them about the functioning of the various institutions, thereby giving them the broader picture and exposure. These young and passionate women working with Rajivika have their own scooters on which they travel to longer distances to conduct meetings with Self Help Group (SHG) women, with Elected Women Representatives (EWR), etc. and spread awareness.
NGOs like Foundation for Ecological Security (FES) and Jan Chetna also employ youth in various fields like education, health and nutrition, etc. FES is the foundation of sustainable and equitable development. It is committed to strengthening, reviving, or restoring, where necessary, the process of ecological succession and the conservation of land, forest and water resources in the country.
Sarmi Bai ji is currently serving as Delegate of Abu Road panchayat samiti. She started working with Jan Chetna organisation even before contesting elections. The organisation every year trains many women like her after recognising the potential in them. After receiving the training, she not only contested panchayat elections for the ward panch post but also won. She went on to win as Sarpanch from Nichlagarh panchayat, Abu Road and currently serving as Delegate under Panchayat Samiti since 2022. After becoming Sarpanch in 2010, she went on to meet American former president Barack Obama in Mumbai, which made the headline “President se president ki Mulaqat (President meets President)” in the newspapers the next day.
During her tenure as delegate, she collaborated with women from Rajivika to bring Annapurna Rasoi (Annapurna Kitchen), to Nichlagarh panchayat, got hand pumps installed for the panchayat, worked on CC roads, built chabutra (a place to rest), built washrooms, emphasised on girl education. Sarmi Bai ji is also the brand ambassador of Sirohi district’s ‘Beti Bachao, Beti Padhao’ (save the daughter, educate the daughter) campaign. She recently gave her 10th class exams proving there is no age limit for learning.
Another former EWR, Navali Gharasiya has also been associated with Jan Chetna organisation. She has been to Australia to attend international meetings where she shared the platform with women of her kind from different countries. As ward panch of Kyariya panchayat, Abu Road, she worked on girls’ education, got a record number of handpumps installed in her tenure, etc. Things like cleanliness, roads and lights everywhere, etc in Australia caught her attention and she worked on implementing the same in her panchayat after coming back to India. She questioned the widow discrimination, and child labour. She went on saying, “jo bhi jeetega, mudde tho uthana padega (whoever wins, issues will have to be raised).” In Rajasthan, girls are encouraged to drive bikes, unlike in other states. This not only makes them independent but also motivates them to choose tougher tasks. A resident of Negariya Kheda Panchayat, working as a vehicle driver himself, expressed pride as a resident of Rajasthan where young girls and women are encouraged to ride motorcycles.
The women who have smartphones and know how to use them, spend most of their leisure time listening to bhajans, and using WhatsApp and Instagram.
Empowerment programmes, education, and awareness campaigns can help women participate as leaders. By taking these steps, we can promote inclusive governance and ensure that women are heard.
Sneha Vankudothu is a research intern under the Abhijit Sen Rural Internship Programme (ASRI) with the National Foundation of India.
