Lok Sabha polls: Garhwal’s women voters praise BJP’s ‘pro-women’ plans

Workers arrange BJP flags ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, at the party office in Jammu, Tuesday, April 2, 2024. (PTI Photo)

The passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill and the ‘pro-women’ schemes could help the BJP’s fortunes, but the delay in rehabilitating the Chamoli disaster victims is worrying, say women voters in Garhwal region in Uttrakhand.

High unemployment in the region, rising prices of essential commodities and the Agnipath scheme were some of the other troubling issues for women voters ahead of the Lok Sabha polls in the state.

Rashmi Nautiyal, a resident of Chamoli district, said women’s participation in politics has increased in recent years and they are learning to take a stand for themselves.

“We have seen that the government has launched several women-oriented programs here. As a result, women are feeling empowered to participate in the elections,” Nautiyal said.

“Women used to follow male members of their families, but now they are taking a stand for themselves,” she added.

According to official data, Garhwal region has more than five lakh women voters.

The BJP has unseated Anil Baluni, while the Congress has chosen Ganesh Godiyal as its candidate.

Aarti Thapliyal of Chamoli said women are more aware of their rights and actively participate in politics.

“Awareness among women has increased these days. There used to be a trend for a woman to be a Gram Pradhan, but her work was taken care of by her husband. She was only there to sign official documents.

“Now, however, women are more aware of their rights and actively participate in politics,” says Thapliyal.

Besides the welfare schemes, the passage of the Women’s Reservation Act by the BJP government in Uttarakhand will move Garhwal’s women voters towards the saffron party, said Pooja Naithani, a resident of Rudgraprayag.

Last year, Uttarakhand Governor Lt. Gen. Gurmit Singh (retd) had approved a bill that provides 30 percent horizontal reservation for state-based women in government jobs.

The Uttarakhand Public Services (Horizontal Reservation for Women) Bill, 2022 was passed by the state assembly on November 29, 2022.

The local women said that the BJP government in the state was successfully implementing women-oriented programs such as the ‘Nari Sashaktikaran Yojana’, ‘Mahalakshmi Yojana’, ‘Vatsalya Yojana’, ‘Anchal Amrit Yojana’ and the ‘Poshan Yojana’.

They also praised the BJP-led central government for effectively implementing the Pradhan Mantri Ujjwala Yojana, which provides free cooking gas connection to adult women from poor households.

However, some women said that the people of Uttarakhand are facing some serious problems, which are not being addressed properly.

“We have asked the government to resettle the Chamoli disaster victims but nothing is being done. This is one of the aspects that need to be addressed,” said Anjali Shah, a local resident.

“Apart from this, the BJP-led government is working for the women and they have an edge in the upcoming polls,” she added.

The 2021 disaster in Chamoli district of Uttarakhand resulted in more than 200 people dead or missing.

Sarojini Devi, a resident of Tehri, appreciated the development work of the BJP government but said it should also focus on other issues such as rising employment and price hike.

“The Agnipath Scheme is also harming the youth in the hill areas. Their dream of joining the military is now shattered. This is the area where the government needs to work before the elections. I have two children and both are in the military. But now, young people are not enthusiastic about this,” Devi said.

“The government is doing good work for the development of the state. The roads are now in much better condition. We can give them (BJP) another chance,” Devi added.

In June 2022, the government introduced the Agnipath recruitment program for the short-term induction of staff with the aim of bringing down the age profile of the three services.

It provides for the recruitment of young people between the age group of 17.5 years and 21 years for a period of four years, with a provision that 25 percent of them can commit another fifteen years.

Elections to five Lok Sabha seats in Uttarakhand will be held in the first phase on April 19.

First print: April 13, 2024 | 10:33 am IST