Steady decline in number of women MLAs from Vidarbha


* The number has come down from six in 1957 to only one in 2014
By Kartik Lokhande 
Maharashtra is considered to be a pioneer in women empowerment. It also is considered a pioneer in providing opportunities to women to contest elections through quota. However, when it comes to electing women candidates, the official records show that number of women MLAs has come down steadily.
As per the official data, the number of women MLAs in Legislative Assembly was 24 in the term 1957-62. Prior to 1960, when Maharashtra state came into being, the Legislative Assembly comprised elected representatives from Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, and Karnataka. It had a total of 316 members of which 24 were women. Then, six of these 24 women MLAs were from Vidarbha region. These included Kokilabai Gawande (Melghat), Sushilabai Ingle (Amgaon), Malati Joshi (Amravati), Indirabai Kotambkar (Buldana), Kusumtai Korpe (Murtijapur), and Hirabai Salve (Morshi).
After Maharashtra state came into being, the first election to Legislative Assembly was held in the year 1962. Of a total 265 members, 15 were women. These women MLAs included only four from Vidarbha region. These included Indirabai Kotambkar (Buldana), Shanta Pagey (Mangrulpir), Kusumtai Korpe (Murtijapur), and Sushilabai Balraj (Nagpur).
Since then, however, barring the elections of 1972 and 1999, the number of women MLAs from Vidarbha region has been below four. In fact, things have worsened as women were given quota. Sadly, in 2009 and 2014 elections to Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, only one woman could get elected from 62 constituencies in Vidarbha. Yashomati Thakur of Congress is the only woman MLA to get elected in 2009 and 2014, from Vidarbha. She won both the elections from Teosa constituency.
As far as Nagpur district is concerned, it has seen only two women MLAs from city area and one from rural since the state of Maharashtra came into being. Sushila Balraj of Congress won three consecutive terms in 1962, 1967, and 1972. She finished third in the 1978 elections when she contested from Nagpur West constituency. Later, in 1985 elections, another woman got elected from city area. Damayanti Deshbhratar emerged victorious from Nagpur North constituency in city area. Since then, no woman could get elected as MLA from any of the six constituencies in Nagpur city area.
From Nagpur rural area, only one woman could get elected as MLA so far. Adv Sulekha Kumbhare of RPI got elected from Kamptee constituency in 1999. She also went on to become Minister of State. However, she lost the later elections.

Election-year wise number of women getting elected as MLA from Vidarbha

-------------------------------------

Year               No of women

                  elected as MLA

-------------------------------------

1957                    06

1962                   04

1967                   04

1972                  05

1978                  02

1980                 04

1985                 03

1990                 02

1995                04

1999               05

2004              03

2009              01

2014              01

------------------------------------- 

(25-11-14)

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