Uttar Pradesh Polls: Parties Woo Women, But What Do Women Want?

Before entering the narrow street lined with matchbox-like houses stacked on both sides of Kansi Ram Colony in Unnao, one is met with the stench of rot. Women in many-hued sarees peep from the square windows of the buildings. The street is full of women. And sewage.

Shabnam, 23, who runs a little paan shop that sits on top of the sewage says that it doesn’t matter who comes to power, things will remain the same for the poor. She points at the swarms of flies and dung lying outside every doorstep.

"You should see it in the rains," she says.

Ikra, 21, who has three children, says that the water here is so dirty that they often find germs in it. “My child is sick all the time. But even ASHA workers don’t come here,” she adds. 

The residents feel that things are going from bad to worse with successive governments. The streets lined with shit and sewage bear testimony to the neglect. “We were happy under Mayawati. She took care of the poor and oppressed. But now, we all know there are only two options and none of them cares about us,” Rukhsana Begum said.

In Uttar Pradesh, women voters outnumber men and political parties have come up with a variety of sops to woo the female vote. From ‘Kamal Kitty Clubs’ to 33 per cent reservations in jobs, and electric scooters, parties are leaving no stone unturned. But are the sops working? As the Assembly Elections In UP enter a crucial period ahead of the fourth phase, women voters from several districts have expressed.

With one of the highest cases of rape and sexual violence in the country, safety for women is one of the key demands. In September 2021, UP CM Yogi Adityanath claimed that UP is safer for women now than it ever was before. The government has also launched several schemes like Mission Shakti: 2.0 to promote women’s safety, especially in rural areas. Shreya, from Sitapur city, says that while politicians are always ready with promises, implementation is far from ideal. 

“We want some basic amenities like securing our right to education, work and play. In Machreta, there are no parks or playgrounds. Girls here have to travel for 4-5 kilometres to get to the playground from their villages,” Shreya says. She adds that the ‘park’ in Machreta was also not a playground but a ‘mela’ ground which doubled as the only playground for children in a 5 km radius. 

The sizeable turnout of women in the first and second phases of elections has put the focus on women. Even as Congress banks on its eclectic mix of women candidates and BJP, many young or first time voters remain disillusioned. 

Shreya is part of the Sangtin Kisan Mazdoor Sangathan (SKMS) in Sitapur which works with farmer labourers from the Sitapur and Hardoi district. As part of the people’s movement, Shreya has been actively involved in election campaigning and advocacy, talking to women about various issues like jobs, unemployment and health. 

“There are no streetlights across large stretches of roads in Sitapur. Men actively harass women pedestrians, I myself have been flashed multiple times,” Shreya tells Outlook. “Netas keep saying women’s safety is their priority. But how will they prevent rapes if they can’t even ensure basic civic needs?” The student from Tata Institute of Social Sciences (TISS) adds. 

Lack of adequate schools and the growing digital divide have also emerged as serious issues for women. Laxmi, from Misrik, says that she has been unable to attend classes for two years now because the pandemic shifted schools online and she did not have a laptop. “My parents are farmers. They cannot afford to buy me gadgets. In fact, it’s hard to even pay the fee.” Laxmi adds that even though schools had remained closed, many were still charging fees. This has caused many young girls to drop out of school in her village, Laxmi says. “If we are not able to attend classes, why should we pay the fee?”

SKMS started as a women-run rural group that was formed to create space for women as stakeholders in the political and developmental narratives of the country. Richa Singh, part of the organisation, travels from village to village and works with women, especially Dalit women and their issues like unemployment and lack of jobs under MNREGA, sexual and domestic violence. It is also a forum for women farmers and wives of farmers who end up doing unpaid labour in the fields to voice their issues. 

"We reach where all governments fail to reach and work for the upliftment of women at the ground level. In the past two years," Richa tells Outlook. Last January, Richa was allegedly put under house arrest when she tries to join a tractor rally in support of protesting farmers. "This government is not a people's government, it is a fascist government. I advocate that women and, in fact, all voters, should only choose parties that work for them on the ground," Richa adds.

Kinnauti village resident Rama Devi tells Outlook that one of the biggest crises farmers face right now is the stray cattle menace. Another says that she was chased by a bull recently when she tries to shoo it away from her wheat farm. "They are destroying all our produce. Since this government stopped the sale of cows to slaughterhouses, our villages have been overflowing with stray cows and bulls". 

With the number of cows far outnumbering goushalas in certain districts of Uttar Pradesh, villagers now face the added burden of feeding not just themselves but also the elderly domestic animals that are no longer productive. While economic losses may still be reversed, Sitapur residents claim at least three people have died in the past year after being mauled by a bull.
 

Will the issues of these women find space in electoral politics? Lucknow-based activist and rape survivor Usha Vishwakarma, who is the founder of Red Brigade, a woman’s advocacy and activism group, says that while women are definitely being used as symbols, the real impact of women’s issues on elections can only be gauged once the new government takes charge, irrespective of which party wins. 

Usha currently gives self-defence training to rape and assault survivors, especially minors. Red Brigade also actively participates in employment generation and identity building of women in and around Lucknow as well as other parts of Uttar Pradesh. "I feel that organisations like ours are doing more footwork than any government has ever done," Usha adds. The Red Brigade has so far helped over 2 lakh rape survivors and assault victims and is currently conducting a '100 Days 100 Villages' initiative to teach self-defence to young village girls in Uttar Pradesh as the first step toward empowerment.