Over 16,000 women in Haryana will show their might

Chandigarh: Haryana is infamous for its skewed sex ratio. But thanks to quotas for women in grassroots bodies, over 16,000 women are set to be elected in the panchayat elections next month, getting a chance to show their might.

"The panchayat elections in the state are being held June 6 and 12. The reservation of seats for women candidates will give them a fair representation in these bodies," said state election commissioner Dharam Vir.

More than a third of the over 44,600 posts that go to the polls in the elections next month are reserved for women. That means over 16,200 posts of panchs, sarpanchs, members of panchayat samitis and members of zila parishads have been reserved for women in the state.

"Even though the general impression still is that most of the women getting elected to these bodies are only the face and the male members of their families, particularly husbands, run the show, elected women are becoming more active in decision-making," said Rashmi Chaudhary, a private school teacher in Karnal.

Giving reservation to women will make them part of the decision-making process at all levels. This comes against the backdrop of Haryana having the lowest overall sex ratio among states at 861 females per 1,000 males and a dismal 819 females per 1,000 males in the 0-6 years category in the 2001 census.

In the state's 90-member state assembly, only nine women were elected legislators in the assembly polls in October last year.

Panchayat elections are being held to 13 out of Haryana's 21 districts.

The state election commissioner said 6,398,342 people would be eligible to vote and elect 244 members of zila parishads, 1,792 members of panchayat samitis, 38,596 panchs and 3,971 sarpanchs.

Out of the total, 14,256 posts of panchs, 1,322 posts of sarpanchs, 617 posts of members of panchayat samitis and 84 posts of zila parishad members have been reserved exclusively for women in Haryana's fourth panchayat elections.

"The maximum number of posts of sarpanchs reserved for women were from Bhiwani district. A total of 157 women sarpanchs would represent the Panchayati Raj institutions from the district," said a state election commission official.

"The maximum number of posts of panchs reserved for women are also from Bhiwani district - 1,681," said the official.

Similarly, 139 women sarpanchs would be elected from Ambala, 36 from Faridabad, 80 from Fatehabad, 82 from Jhajjar, 101 from Jind, 87 from Kaithal, 126 from Kurukshetra, 121 from Mahendragarh, 94 from Mewat, 82 from Palwal, 110 from Sirsa and 109 from Sonipat.

Out of the 1,322 seats of sarpanchs reserved for women, 285 seats have been reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Caste families. As many as 4,115 seats of panchs had been reserved for women from the same category.

This may help usher in change in Haryana.

In many areas of the state, especially in the Jaat-dominated rural areas, young men are finding it increasingly difficult to get brides for marriage, given the fewer number of girls.

In many instances, families have gone to faraway states like Jharkhand, Orissa and even in southern states to get women to marry off their sons.

However, there is a ray of hope for the state on the adverse sex ratio front.

Figures obtained by the state government from the total births in all 21 districts till October 2009 have revealed that the sex ratio at birth (0-6 years) had improved considerably from the 2001 census (819 females) to 852 females per 1,000 males now.