If sons inherit political privileges, can daughters be far behind? That seems to be the mantra
of the forthcoming general election in India. Vimla Patil on how the new brigade of
daughters of leaders of several parties is marching ahead

THE great Indian election game is on. Obviously, the bigger picture is riveting the attention of the media and the people of India. As never before, the political scenario in New Delhi and around the states of India is changing. There is an incredible and constant re-aligning of most political alliances with new surprises springing into the public domain everyday. Every so often, a new faction leaves its old coterie and joins hands with another party for better leverage. How the final outcome will shape India’s future is anyone’s guess. And no wonder, television debaters, reporters, editors and discussion leaders are busy weighing the chances of various pressure groups in determining the outcome of the 15th general election of India. As political pundits say, India’s over-a-billion people may have some surprises in store when the results of the election will be announced. At the moment, there is no doubt that ‘political sons’ are holding the centre stage. Leading in this procession are Rahul Gandhi, Varun Gandhi, Sachin Pilot, Jyotiraditya Scindia, and Omar Abdullah, who are hitting headlines in national news every day.

However, a large number of daughters of prominent politicians are contesting or impacting the political scenario in a unique manner. To start with, the Nehru-Gandhi clan is not only fielding Rahul Gandhi as the young face of the Congress, but also looking forward to Priyanka Gandhi Vadra becoming a vocal canvasser for her brother and the party. Already, she is giving sound bytes to television channels and making widely quoted statements. Though she is not contesting the elections, she is a symbol of the Nehru-Gandhi family and will have a definite role to play during the coming month.

Among those who are already ensconced in the political arena are: Priya Dutt Roncon (daughter of the late Sunil Dutt), Supriya Sule (daughter of Sharad Pawar), Meira Kumar (daughter of Jagjeevan Ram), Mehbooba Mufti (daughter of Mufti Mohommed), Shaina N C (daughter of Nana Chudasama), Kanimozhi (daughter of M. Karunanidhi) and among the lesser known Pranati Shinde (daughter of Sushilkumar Shinde, Varsha Gaekwad, Agatha Sangma and Poonam Mahajan (Pramod Mahajan’s daughter), though she has been refused a ticket by the BJP according to the latest news.

Most of them, however, have espoused regional causes and therefore, do not feature in national news. An overview of their careers shows that they are working on specific issues or regional politics rather than using a platform to become India’s national leaders. They are still standing at various rungs of the power ladder. Their absence from the media blitz is a clear indication of this.

Of these, Meira Kumar is a veteran. Minister for Social Justice and Empowerment, she is sedate with a soft demeanour. But she has proved that she has a burning desire to do her best for the downtrodden, underprivileged sections of society.

Meira was in the news when she proposed that reservations be created in the private sector exactly like the public sector for such classes. Her proposal sent a wave of shock and protests in the industry circles and was quashed by the strong opposition by industry leaders. But she says, "Though the GDP has risen impressively, a large proportion of our people still remains marginalized and mired in poverty. Discrimination based on caste and religion still reigns supreme and equitable sharing of incomes and property is a far cry. The mandate of my ministry is to work towards the mainstreaming of disadvantaged sections of the society such as scheduled castes, minorities, backward classes, aged persons, disabled persons and victims of substance abuse. Our objective is to empower these sections of society to work shoulder to shoulder with the privileged classes. I am hoping that business houses and industrial corporations will move forward in this direction and create high productivity and a harmonious social environment. If they respond positively, we need not even talk about legislation for reservations for these groups in the private sector." Meira’s proposal has not received major support from the government or the industry.

Mehbooba Mufti has been active in Jammu and Kashmir politics. President of the People’s Democratic Party, she is limited now to ‘playing the role of a constructive opposition." But her role in the valley cannot be undermined as she has handled the partyelection strategies in the 2004 national elections and the 2008 assembly elections.

Priya Dutt, Congress MP, is more in the news on account of her family skirmishes with brother Sanjay Dutt, who has been disallowed from contesting on a Samajwadi Party ticket from Lucknow. Right now, she is quietly preparing to carry on Sunil Dutt’s legacy as she is contesting from her father’s constituency in the coming election. Apart from social work in her constituency, Priya has not really been in national news for her support of any cause.

Kanimozhi, daughter of M. Karunanidhi, hit the headlines when she resigned from the Rajya Sabha to put pressure on the government to call for a ceasefire in Sri Lanka as her party is close to the plight of Tamils in that country. So in this way, she too is concentrating on regional issues and is not hitting national news.

Supriya Sule, NCP Rajya Sabha member, is yet another daughter in the political arena. Though she has confined herself to Maharashtra and its politics, she has shown a keen interest in education and worked ceaselessly for tribal schools in the remote regions of the state. For most part, she too is silent in the present election, leaving all the talking to her father Sharad Pawar.

Shaina N C of BJP is in politics because she wants to fight for a Common Civil Code but at this point of time, she has not offered to contest elections. This time, she will only campaign for her party wherever required. The rest — Poonam Mahajan (not getting a ticket from the BJP), Pranati Shinde, Varsha Gaikwad and Agatha Sangma are new names and their future is yet to unfold though their fathers are certainly in the news.

That’s not the last word, however. Not as daughters, but as daughters-in-law, two women have impacted the national scene. First, is the much junior Margaret Alva, daughter-in-law of Congress stalwarts Joachim and Violet Alva, who has been rehabilitated and given a Congress ticket. She has been the spokesperson for the ruling alliance. But more importantly, the world famous Nehru-Gandhi daughter-in-law, Sonia Gandhi, will certainly impact the 2009 elections in the most dramatic manner with her every move being televised the world over. Though she speaks less and does not seek the limelight, everyone knows her power – she’s named among the most powerful women of the world. Political observers say that if the Congress succeeds this time in winning the mandate, Rahul Gandhi may be a certain candidate for prime minister-ship in the next elections. If that happens, her power over the country’s political scenario will become unquestionable and absolute.

Though Indira Gandhi remains the most famous political daughter who impacted the history of India, the new brigade of daughters — each of them, young, with families of their own to look after — is still following as heirs of their father’s political mantle to achieve prominence in their chosen political parties and causes. Many will be elected in the forthcoming general elections. Will they bring about changes in India’s political scenario remain to be seen.

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