KOHIMA: Sixty years into statehood, Nagaland is yet to elect a woman to its legislative assembly. In the upcoming February 27 assembly polls, there are only four women in the fray out of 183 candidates.
The only time the northeastern state saw a woman being elected through public mandate was in 1977, when Rano M Shaiza defeated former chief minister Hokishe Semato become a member of the Lok Sabha. Last year, 45 years later, state Bharatiya Janata Party’s women’s wing president S Phangnon Konyak was elected to the Rajya Sabha as a consensus candidate of the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA).
Women in Nagaland perform better on the metrics of literacy (76.11% against 64.63% nationally) as well as workforce engagement in both government and private sectors, compared with the national average.
Also Read: PM Modi removed ‘mann ki doori’ of Northeast: Amit Shah ahead of assembly polls
They also wield considerable influence in civil society, but that has not yet translated into their increasing presence in electoral politics. Naga society is deeply rooted in patriarchy and its social practices and customary laws are protected under Article 371A of the Constitution. Traditionally, Naga women were hardly included in decisionmaking bodies, experts said.
“In olden times, women were given the responsibility to stay at home, care for the children and do household work, while men were kept free from work so that they could protect the village. There was no thought to include women in decisionmaking, though men were not against the opposite gender,” said Sano Vamuzo, founding member of the influential Naga Mothers’ Association (NMA) and first president of the state’s commission for women.
Also Read| ‘Election for confusion’: Congress MP takes a dig at PM Modi over Nagaland issue
But, she said, with changing times and better education, there is an increase in equity, and harmful gender norms are being done away with. Maintaining that the presence of women and their leadership in public offices is vital for ensuring greater sensitivity towards citizens’ needs, the octogenarian strongly advocated for women’s participation in decisionmaking bodies, including the state legislature.
Sano Vamuzo, sister of the first Naga woman MP Rano M Shaiza and wife of former chief minister Vamuzo Phesao, is no stranger to the political scenario in Nagaland. Women should continue to stand and fight in elections, she said. “Unless we contest, we cannot enter the assembly,” she stated.
On the four women candidates for the forthcoming polls, she said she was praying for their victory, irrespective of their political affiliations.
This time, the ruling Nationalist Democratic Progressive Party (NDPP) is fielding two woman candidates – Salhoutuonuo Kruse from Western Angami constituency and Hekani Jakhalu from Dimapur-III constituency. Its ally, the BJP, is fielding Kahuli Sema from Atoizu. The Congress has nominated Rosy Thomson from Tening.
Electoral fight for four women
The battle for these four women candidates will not be easy as they are up against peeved NDPP MLAs who were denied party tickets.
Kruse is the widow of late Kevisekho Kruse, who was defeated in 2018 as an NDPP candidate . She has been actively involved in civil society organizations for over two decades and headed her tribe’s women’s body, Angamimiapfü Mechü Krotho, and served as an advisory board member in the tribe’s male-dominated apex organization. The 56-year-old will be going for a straight contest with independent candidate Keneizhakho Nakhro, who was denied an NDPP ticket despite being a ruling party MLA.
Jakhalu, 48, is a mother of two and a social entrepreneur with a law background. A recipient of the Nari Shakti Puraskar in 2018, she co-founded and led the state’s YouthNet for many years and is a vocal advocate of youth and entrepreneurship in the northeast region. She will be facing another beleaguered former NDPP MLA, Azheto Zhimomi, who is contesting on a Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) ticket and three other male candidates — Congress’s Vetetso Lasuh and independents Kahuto Chishi Sumi and Lun Tungnung.
Thomson, 58, has been involved with the Congress party for more than two decades. She is up against five male candidates, including two-time MLA and Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) nominee Namri Nchang, Tarie Zeliang, who was preferred over Nchang for this election by the ruling NDPP, Henry Zeliang from Naga People’s Front (NPF), Zandi Domta of National People’s Party (NPP) and independent candidate Tumda Newme.
BJP nominee Kahuli Sema is the first woman engineer -in-chief of the public works department in her community, who took voluntary retirement from service to contest the elections. With over 30 years in government service, she comes with ample administrative and leading experience. She will also face two-time lawmaker Picto Shohe, another NDPP MLA who was denied a party ticket, who is fighting on a NCP ticket this time, in a straight race.
Things might change this time
For many, the absence of women in the state assembly is mainly due to political parties and the electorate not taking women candidature seriously. But this time, they are hopeful.
“Politics is considered a male-dominated field and women were not taken seriously earlier. But this time, the candidates appear to be quite serious and people are also taking their candidature seriously. This is a positive development. We need women participation in the decisionmaking bodies,” said Timikha Koza, president of Tenyimi Peoples Organization, a collective of 10 Naga tribes. The inclusion of women in lawmaking would make a difference for the better in Naga society, he maintained.
Voicing similar sentiments, Kheholi Assumi, president of a tribal women’s body called the Sumi Totimi Hoho, said it was time for the people to realize the need to include women in decisionmaking. She highlighted that women in Naga society have been suppressed for so long that even after the advent of women’s empowerment movement, many women were not confident about public life. As Naga society is transitioning from an older mindset to a more open one, Assumi hoped that this time a conscious public would elect some of the women candidates, if not all of them.
Naga women also face the disadvantage of not being able to inherit ancestral property, as the ownership of land and related assets also come in play during elections. “With elections in Nagaland being one of money and muscle power, women candidates over the years have been at a disadvantage and unable to be elected,” said Rosemary Dzuvichu, head of the English literature department at Nagaland University and an advisor to the influential Naga Mothers’ Association. However, she was optimistic that the people’s mind sets are changing, as women candidates are being taken seriously and fielded this time by major political parties.
“We now have four women candidates who have stepped into the electoral fray. I am positive they can be game-changers and serious contenders,” Dzuvichu said. “They are all capable women and Naga society hopefully is ready for women stepping in and voters will bring them to victory and change the story of Naga women in politics.”
[ad_2]