Berhampur: Even though women’s participation in Ganjam politics is increasing, only a handful of them have been able to get elected to the Lok Sabha and the Odisha Assembly, a report said.
This has come at a time when women empowerment is the order of the day. It seems women cannot be in the forefront of politics in Ganjam district. Otherwise how would one explain this stark fact?
Only three women from Ganjam district has made it to Parliament and only 10 to the Odisha Assembly in the last 70 years. Reports said that only three women from Ganjam district have been elected to the Lok Sabha and 10 to the Odisha Assembly from 1951-52 to 2019.
Renubala Pradhan was a Rajya Sabha member from 2008-2014 while Jayanti Patnaik was elected to the Lok Sabha from Berhampur seat in the 1998 elections.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik won from the Aska Lok Sabha seat in 1999. He resigned from the Lok Sabha after he was elected to the State Assembly from the Hinjilicut seat in 2000 Assembly elections. Later, in a by-election, BJD’s Kumudini Patnaik was elected.
Pramila Bisoyi became an MP after she was elected from the Aska Lok Sabha segment in 2019 general elections.
However, only three women have been elected to the Lok Sabha and one to the Rajya Sabha during the last seven decades in a political conscious district like Ganjam.
Similarly, 10 women have been elected to the state Assembly. Among them, V Sugnana Kumari Deo was elected to the state Assembly for nine times from Khallikote Assembly segment and once from Kabisuryanagar Assembly segment. She represented Congress party, Utkal Congress, Janata Party, Janata Dal and BJD in the state Assembly at different points of time but never becoae a minister.
Usha Devi has been elected for eight times from the Chikiti Assembly segment in the district. She represented Janata Dal and BJD for six times and twice became a minister.
Late Usharani Panda was elected to the state Assembly from Aska and Sorada Assembly segments twice on Congress tickets and became a minister of state for a brief period in the Giridhar Gamang ministry.
Among the remaining seven, Ananga Manjari Devi from Congress was elected to the state Assembly from erstwhile Badakhemundi (currently-Digapahandi) Assembly segment in 1957.
Shanti Devi from Janata Dal won from Sorada Assembly segment in 1990. Ratnamanjari Devi, an independent won from the Berhampur Assembly segment in 1977 elections.
Nandini Devi of BJD won from Sanakhemundi seat in 2014 Assembly elections. Among the seven women, six of them are from royal families.
BJD candidates Latika Pradhan won from the Kabisuryanagar Assembly segment, Manjula Swain from Aska and Suryamani Baidya from Khallikote reserve seat in the 2019 election.
Notably, after Odisha became a separate state in 1936, A Lakshmibai from Congress won from the Berhampur Assembly segment in 1937 and 1946.
Lakhsmibai who is also the sister of late President VV Giri also became the first woman deputy speaker of state Assembly from May 29, 1946 to February 20, 1952.
On the other hand, 16 women candidates from BJD and six from the Congress were elected from 22 wards of Berhampur Municipal Corporation in the 2013 Municipal elections.
BJD’s K Madhavi was elected as the first woman Mayor and Jyotshna Nayak as deputy Mayor of Berhampur Municipal Corporation. Half the 503 gram panchayats in the district have woman sarpanchs and samiti members.
Two women, Sonam Palai and Snehalata Panda have been elected as chairperson and vice-chairperson of the Zilla Parishad.
PNN