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DIMAPUR — The election of only two women out of 25 contestants so far in the history of Nagaland is a reflection of existing disparities in representation of Naga women in electoral politics, according to Chibeni Murry, the vice principal of Oriental College Kohima.
She made this remark at Tetso College on Wednesday while delivering a lecture on ‘Political participation of Naga Women in electoral politics’ during the three-day national seminar sponsored by Indian Council of Social Science Research (ICSSR) and organised by the department of Political Science, Tetso College.
Speaking on the history of women participation in politics, she said that Naga women have been politically visible not only as voters but also as contestants: in 1969, Ravole-ü contested from Western Angami assembly constituency and RL Kinghen from Bhandari assembly constituency.
Rano M Shaiza contested in the 5th NLA elections from the Western Angami assembly constituency. Thereafter in the 6th NLA elections, three women candidates contested. However, none of those contestants were successful.
And from the 10th to 14th NLA elections, she shared that Nagaland saw few women candidates coming forward making their presence felt in electoral politics. She cited how Rano M Shaiza became the first Naga women Member of Parliament in 1977, and termed it a historic development when she defeated the then sitting Chief Minister Hokishe Sema.
According to her, the 14th NLA elections marked a turning point with Hekani Jakhalu and Salhoutuonuo Kruse returning successful—with Kruse becoming the first female Cabinet minister of the state.
S Phangnon Konyak became the first women MP of Rajya Sabha from Nagaland in 2022, she said and pointed out that out of 198 women contestants in the first ULB elections in 20 years, 102 were elected.
Murry said that in terms of voting, Naga women are contributing in large numbers as active voters. She cited a study showing that in the 14 NLA elections held so far, women voters have outnumbered their male counterparts on eight occasions “which shows that women voters are playing a huge role in electing male candidates”.
“Yet, while women cast their votes in large numbers, a very few stand for election as candidates and women representation is still very low,” she said.
Stating that Naga society has been deeply rooted in patriarchy for centuries resulting in male domination in all aspects of life, she lamented how society perceives men as leaders, whereas women are considered caregivers who should prioritise household and family obligations.
“Therefore women are not given enough opportunity to take part in political participation. However, slow changes can be seen where Naga women are breaking into the political sphere,” she observed.
Challenging factors
Murry cited some hurdles to women’s electoral participation in Nagaland: cultural and social norms, lack of political support and network, lack of opportunity at grassroots level, and prevailing money and muscle power politics ‘which is not a very friendly environment for women’.
She suggested that filtering traditional and customary practices, including the right to inheritance, can be a positive development for equal political empowerment. She said that even in the education sector, gender sensitive textbooks can be introduced to sensitise children on equal representations, which can help break down many societal stereotypes.
Further, she suggested that women should be educated to show support and solidarity to women candidates and motivate more women to take part in governance. And to curb the money and muscle power, law enforcement agencies should create a conducive environment for free and fair elections for all, she added.
During the three-day seminar, several professors and research scholars from across the country will be presenting on various topics through parallel technical online sessions.
The themes of the seminars include India’s Geopolitics and the Northeast; Role of Women in Ethno-Political Issues; Contemporary Political, Socio-Economic Issues in Northeast India; India’s Geopolitical Landscape and its North-eastern Frontier; Politics in the Margins Exploring Ethno-Political Issues in Northeast India, etc.