Here, men tell women who to vote for
Geetanjali Gayatri
Chandigarh, May 19
In this corner of patriarchal Haryana, women believe politics is best left to their men when it comes to contesting elections or even voting in them. Perhaps that explains why the major political parties, both the BJP and the Congress, have together fielded only five women in a state with 47 per cent female population (879 females for 1000 males, compared to the national average of 940 females), for as many as 10 Lok Sabha seats. There are another 11 Independent candidates also in the fray.
In the Jat heartland of Jind, college girls, all first-time voters, are emphatic about “going by the family decision on voting”, just like women tending their cattle or toiling in the fields nearby. Clearly, they have been conditioned to believe they can’t take the important decision on choosing a candidate on their own.
Working tirelessly under the blazing sun — the temperature has hit a record high these last few days, crossing 42 degrees with easy impunity — in the fields of Uplana village, Darshana, a mother of two and a farm labourer, tells The Tribune, “If I was educated and informed, I wouldn’t be working in this heat in the fields. I don’t know the candidates, I don’t know anything about the elections. I have to cast my vote in favour of somebody and I do it. It does not matter who it goes to. I have so much home work to handle that I don’t have time for all this. The men understand politics and decide in the family’s interest”.
She has hardly finished speaking when the villager who has brought her to work the fields with three other women jumps into the conversation. “These women don’t know anything. In my house, I accompany my wife and mother to the polling booth. We don’t even tell the women who they should vote for. We simply accompany tell them which button to press,” 30-year old Joginder Singh proudly says. The women agree.
Still, these women know who PM Narendra Modi and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi are. They also recognise the election symbols of a few parties, though there is some disagreement about which leader belongs to which party.
At Jind’s Nagura bus stand, Poonam, a third-year political science student, is returning home after attending her classes. “I will be voting for the first time and my parents will tell me where to vote. I can’t take such decisions for myself,” she says while another girl with her adds that her father watches television and can make more informed choices.
A famer, Raghubir Singh, overhearing the conversation at the bus-stand, underlines the power men wield over women in this state. “This is not America, Japan or England. The government does not pay for the upbringing of our children and it is the mother who carries the child in her womb. They will tell their children who to vote for. This is India and here the parents have every right to tell their child who to vote for,” he insists.
In Bakal village of Kaithal, 75-year old Roshni and 70-year old Sunari don’t mind being “guided” by the men in their families. “We will cast our vote in favour of whoever the family decides on. That is the way it has always been,” they claim in unison while other women who join in maintain that their lives never change no matter who comes to power.
None of these women were able to name any of the candidates standing for elections. A little prodding revealed an entire spectrum of choices, from the “local master ji” to the “sarpanch’s brother” to the Chhattisgarh Chief Minister. However, there is one thing they all accept—they are certain about going to cast their vote on May 25.
Women don’t know
Women don’t know anything. I accompany my wife and mother to the polling booth. We don’t even tell them who they should vote for. They won’t understand. We simply tell them which button to press. — Joginder Singh, Uplana village, Karnal
In family’s interest
If I was educated and informed, I wouldn’t be working in the fields. I don’t know the candidates and anything about the polls. I have so much work at home to handle that I don’t have time for all this. The men understand politics and decide in the family’s interest. — Darshana, farm labourer
We Follow men
Our life is only about household chores, bringing up children, tending to cattle and doing odd jobs. The men of our family handle the rest and take all important decisions. We follow them on voting. — Rajo, jamba village, Kaithal
