Himalayan Times (1957)

Bight

November 3, 1957

want home rather than
give their names to the
polling officer. In other
parts of the country,
however, just the opposite
is the case. There it is
improper for a woman to
mention her husband's
name in publio, and this
too made it impossible
for the polling officers to
identify the women voters.

Suoh tradition-ridden
obstacles are very difficult
to remove and oan dis-
appear only when the
general level of education
rises. Under these oir-
oumstances it is really
remarkable that a large
number of women did
exeroiso their suffrage,
even if many of them
oast their votes not ac-
cording to mature politi-
cal judgement but in de-
ference to the prevelent
political trend in the re.
gioD or to the advioe or
instructions of their male
family members. .

After the experience
gained in the first elec-
tions, the political parties
and sooial organisations
have been working hard
to make women better
acquainted with political
questions, and many obs-
tacles to political activi-
ties by women have al-
ready been swept aside.
The knowledge and ex-
psrienoe. gained by the
polling offioials during the
first elections stood them
n very good stead in

organising the second
general eleotiens last spring
They were instructed to
pay particular head to
the customs and manners
of the people in various
regions. In predeminantly
Muslim areas separate
polling booths were pro-
vided for men and women
while in other regions both
sexes used the same booths.
Soeial workers,government
offioials and party re-
presentatives went round
the oountry before the
elections and explained
the election procedure to
the women. It does seem
that all this labour has
proved fruitful in the last
eleotions. Not only did
the number of voters who
went to polls go up from
105 to 120 million but
the proportion of women
among them also increased
from 45 to 47%. This
means that the oivio ac-
tivities of the womea
showed a greater rise than
those of the men.

Women Legislators
Tndian women not
only vote but are also
eleoter) to legislative bo-
dies. There were members
in the out-going Central
Parliament and State Le-
gislatures. Ia the newly,
eleoted Parliament there
are 27 women, 6 more
than in the previous
House, while the number
of women in the State
Legislatures has risen from
80 to 195. Most of them

belong to the Congress
Party which has an ab-
solute majoriiy in the
Central Parliament and
most of the State Legis-
latures, 'jlf

The Congress had paid
particular attention to the
women voters and had
deoided that at least 15%
of their candidates in the
recent elections should be
women. But the party
fell far short of carrying
out these intentions partly
because of the shortage
of suitable women candi-
dates and partly beoause
local and personal faotors
had to be taken into
consideration in many
areas.

Many of the nomina-
ted women candidates
were defeated. Evea then
202 out of the total of
220 women members of
the Legislatures belong
to the Congress. The
party has also included
women among the govern-
ment that it has formed.
There are two women
Deputy Ministers in the
Central Government: Mrs.
Violet Alva and Mrs.
Lakshmi Menon. To the
regret of almost everyone
the former Health Minis-
ter and an energetic
though sometimes contro-
versial figure, Rajkumari
Amrit Kaur, has resigned
from office.

Indian women have
demonstrated that despite

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