By Avanti Nayal
with inputs from Punya Chowksey, Aariya Thoumoung and Srijani Mukhopadhyay[i]
A democracy cannot function without its people. The decision is in the hands of those who have the power to vote. However, given that power lies in the hands of the people, election campaigning (and the schemes and policies highlighted through them) is marked by numerous speeches that relentlessly attempt to strike a chord with their audience – certain trends were ubiquitous in the 2024 November round of state Assembly elections in India.
The Gender Equality Election Watch team at Prajnya has been monitoring news media for gendered hate speech during election campaigns and other gender inequality markers. The observations in this blogpost draw from the six weeks of the 2024 State Assembly election campaigns in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, Rajasthan and Telangana. In this period, there were no reported instances of gendered hate speech. However, we made note of other ways in which gender became salient.
Manifesto promises aplenty…
The incumbent party and its rivals targeted women voters. The BJP’s Laadli Behen Yojna[ii] (which contributed significantly to their win in MP) promised to deposit an amount directly into the banks of women who fell within a specific family income range. The Congress’ promised to provide 10,000 rupees to the women heads of families in Rajasthan[iii]. In Telangana too, The Congress promised women free travel on RTC buses, LPG cylinders at a price of Rs.500 etc.[iv]
…But few women candidates
In Madhya Pradesh for instance, both the BJP and The Congress’ candidate list included but a small proportion of women candidates (less than 15 percent were women)[v]. In Rajasthan too, only 14 percent of the candidates fielded by Congress were women while 10 percent of BJP’s candidates fell in the same category[vi]. In Telangana too, there were merely 221 women candidates (the total number of candidates being over 2000).[vii]
Misogynistic culture, misogynistic politics
Elections don’t take place in a vacuum. The misogyny that’s pervasive in our patriarchal society has a significant effect on election campaign(s). What else could explain the outrage that ensued after Congress nominated (in Mizoram) a candidate who married outside of her community[viii]. She was no longer recognised as a Mizo by huge swathes of the population. This is but a testament to the patriarchal notions that dictate the boundaries of communities. It begs the question- would a man receive the same treatment for marrying a non-Mizo?
Through this article, our aim is to throw light on the contradictions that prevail in election manifestos (and subsequently in the campaigns). Certainly, all of the campaigning culminates in an election win (or a loss) for the parties involved. But, it is crucial to analyse the means to the end. The acknowledgement of their agency is essential because it would prevent them from being reduced to a mere vote-bank. The facilitation of adequate representation of all the genders is crucial to ensuring the ability to helm change isn’t concentrated in the hands of men. Women played a pivotal role in bringing people to power, and are competent enough to bring in their lived experiences to the table to foster change. Women are people with feelings and opinions and the ability to act on their concerns. They are more than a vote-bank.
[i] Avanti, Punya, Aariya and Srijani are all students at KREA University.
[ii] Dwary and Bose. “Why “Ladli Behna” Became Shivraj Chouhan’s Masterstroke in Election Year.” NDTV.com, http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/shivraj-singh-chouhan-ladli-behna-madhya-pradesh-election-2023-why-ladli-behna-became-shivraj-chouhans-masterstroke-in-election-year-4632153. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
[iii] Khan,Hamza.“In Priyanka Presence, Gehlot’s New “Guarantees” to Women: Rs 10k, Subsidised LPG to 1 Cr Homes.” The Indian Express, 25 Oct. 2023, indianexpress.com/article/political-pulse/rajasthan-gehlot-rs-10000-woman-head-of-family-lpg-cylinder-at-rs-500-8998861/.
[iv] Bureau, The Hindu. “Telangana Assembly Elections Results 2023 | What Election Promises Did Congress Make?” The Hindu, 3 Dec. 2023, http://www.thehindu.com/elections/telangana-assembly/telangana-elections-results-2023-what-election-promises-did-congress-make/article67600494.ece. Accessed 20 Dec. 2023.
[v] “BJP, Cong Try to Cash in on Quota for Women but Name Less than 15%.” The Times of India, 23 Oct. 2023, timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bhopal/bjp-cong-try-to-cash-in-on-quota-for-women-but-name-less-than-15/articleshow/104637957.cms.
[vi] Anjum, Tabeenah. “Rajasthan: Despite Women-Centric Poll Promises, Only 14% Candidates Fielded by Congress and 10% by BJP Are Female.” Outlookindia.com, Outlook, 8 Nov. 2023, http://www.outlookindia.com/national/rajasthan-assembly-election-2023-despite-women-centric-poll-promises-only-10-candidates-fielded-by-congress-and-bjp-are-female-news-329623. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
[vii] Erukala, Sandeep. “Telangana Assembly Elections: 221 Women Are in Poll Race.” Telangana Today, 19 Nov. 2023, telanganatoday.com/telangana-assembly-elections-221-women-are-in-poll-race. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
[viii] PTI. “Protest in Aizawl against Congress for Nominating Mizo Woman Who Married Outside Community.” Deccan Herald, http://www.deccanherald.com/elections/mizoram/protest-in-aizawl-against-congress-for-nominating-mizo-woman-who-married-outside-community-2735688. Accessed 17 Dec. 2023.
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