Bharatiya Janata Party spokesperson Shaina N C, who is one of the most distinguished faces of the BJP in Maharashtra, is “upset and appalled” as all political parties barring the Trinamool Congress and the Biju Janata Dal have failed to enact the 33 percent mark for women candidates in Lok Sabha polls, The Indian Express reported.
Shaina, who has been among the most vocal voices for the BJP in Maharashtra, said that fielding female candidates requires genuine political will and not just lip service to the cause of women’s reservation as expressed in successive manifestos by political parties.
“There is a male chauvinistic mindset in political parties, so whenever a woman’s name comes up as a candidate, there are questions about winnability, about funding, unless it is somebody’s daughter, somebody’s daughter-in-law,” Shaina told The Indian Express. She has been denied a ticket to contest for these elections.
With the prospects of her contesting the Lok Sabha elections over, Shaina has now vowed to champion the cause of reservation even if she has to fight the male chauvinistic mindset within political parties, including her own. However, when asked if the BJP lacked ‘the political will, respect or the belief’ to give more tickets to women candidates, Shaina ducked a direct reply. “You are trying to get me into trouble.”
It is worth noting that in Maharashtra, with seven out of 25 seats, 28 percent of her party’s candidates are women and the number is the highest so far. However, Shaina pointed out that many of those women candidates happen to be the “daughters of party leaders” did not encourage her.
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“Seven candidates — you think that’s enough? Of the three — Poonam Mahajan, Pritam Munde and Heena Gavit (all sitting MPs) — are daughters of party leaders. A fourth, Smita Wagh, is a party leader’s wife. Is that what you call representation of women? I don’t mind women with family connections if they are talented but give others a chance, too,” she fumed.
Another candidate who is BJP leader Eknath Khadse’s daughter-in-law – Raksha Khadse – has also been fielded from the BJP in the Raver Lok Sabha constituency in Maharashtra.
Shaina, who is also a fashion designer, is the treasurer of the BJP’s state unit. She is the daughter of the former Mumbai Sheriff – Nana Chudasama, Her sole electoral outing till now was back in 2004 from the Bandra Assembly constituency, where she was defeated by the Congress candidate.
On being asked if she was upset after being denied the party ticket, Shaina declined saying that it was not about her or just one particular political party.
“We all want to fight elections, however, this is not personal. But if you do not give chances to women who do not have family connections in politics, how are women like us going to come up? It is not about me or not about one political party.”
Shaina also revealed that she is currently in contact with women leaders “across political parties to start a petition for giving women their due at least within the party”.