Women want to know how a politician will improve their lives: Former MP Sushmita Dev

Women's Reservation Bill

Former Member of Parliament at Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha and All India Trinamool Congress leader Sushmita Dev told Moneycontrol that women leaders tend to concentrate on women as a separate vote bank, as a result of which they focus on the development of women. She was part of a panel discussion on the Women’s Reservation Bill along with Sanjay Kumar, director of the Centre for Study of Developing Societies (CSDS).

Dev noted that women have unique expectations from the government, which are very different from those of men. “There has to be a very intersectional approach to aspects like poverty and conflict, as they affect women differently. Women leaders tend to understand this,” she explained.

Also Read: Women’s Bill may have to wait till 2034 elections to come in force

According to Dev, studies have shown that women politicians pay more attention to minority rights, education and security. “When women voters listen to a candidate speaking, women are listening to know what is in it for them. Women want to hear what a politician is going to do to improve their life,” she said.

Dev cited the example of rural women paying more attention to employment needs and urban women looking for safety.“Women in rural areas want to earn money and not necessarily step out of homes. Politicians need to understand this,” said Dev.

The Trinamool leader cited examples of how there needs to be a change in nomenclature to bring about a change in attitude. “Why is our ministry called the women and child development ministry? You cannot view the needs of women through the needs of children,” she declared.

Women’s Reservation Bill

The Women's Reservation Bill, which seeks to reserve 33 percent of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, was passed by both houses of parliament in the special session that concluded on September 22.

The current Lok Sabha comprises a total of 542 members, of which 78 (14.39 percent) are women. In 2022, in response to a question in parliament, the government said that the average number of women MLAs in state assemblies across the country is a mere 8 percent.

However, Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal recently indicated that the women’s reservation Bill would be implemented after the delimitation process that is set to take place after 2026.

Watch the full panel discussion here.