Delimitation: Women Leaders Fear Reduced Representation

The debate has brought back a much-required focus on its impact on women's reservation

- ANIL S @T'Puram

Amid the ongoing debate over delimitation, concerns are being raised about how badly women's representation will be hit by it. The delimitation debate has brought back a much-required focus on its impact on women's reservation. Though the Women's Reservation Bill was passed, its implementation depends on two factors: the next census and the delimitation process.

Kerala politics is steeped in a patriarchal mindset, feel women leaders in the state. In general, parties offer very few seats to women, as was evident from the last LS polls where the LDF fielded three candidates out of 20, the UDF just one, while the BJP-led NDA scored with five women in the fray. Once the number of total seats comes down post-delimitation, there is bound to be a further dip in seats offered to women, they said. Cutting across political parties, women leaders feel that women's reservation should be implemented immediately, and adequate women representation be ensured.