State unlikely to be part of bindi belt

The first school for girls in India; the first widow re-marriage'' the first lady orator speaking out about women''s issues; the women''s emancipation movements is something Maharashtra has been at the forefront of.
But speak politics and there are no Uma Bharatis, Vasundhara Rajes or Sheila Dikshits in sight. Not for the last 50 years. Maharashtra is a state known to be much more progressive than Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, yet not a single female candidate''s name has ever been in discussion for the post of chief minister, since 1952.
Surprisingly, party leaders seem to either dismiss the issue or blame it on the women themselves. "This is not an issue important enough to be discussed right now. I won''t waste my time discussing it, because me discussing it won''t bring results," says Nationalist Congress Party NCP) leader Sharad Pawar.
Shiv Sena leader Raj Thackarey feels, "We don''t want a Rabri Devi in Maharashtra. If a deserving woman comes up on her own, I assure you, the Shiv Sena will not think twice about making her the CM." Congressman Vilasrao Deshmukh tries to explain the logic behind the situation, saying, "It''s not that women leadership is weak in Maharashtra. The Congress has always given an equal chance to women. Leaders like Pratibha Patil and Prabha Rao have emerged through the party ranks."
He still remains sceptical about the future of women in Maharashtra politics. "I think women in Maharashtra haven''t taken their political careers as seriously as they should have. Had they shown the ability to look after a party, they would have been definitely considered for the post of CM. After all our national leader (Sonia Gandhi) is a woman," he smiles.
BJP MP from Pune Pradeep Ravat toes Deshmukh''s line. "Leadership can''t be gifted to someone overnight, be it man or woman. Somehow no woman in Maharashtra has worked her way up to chief ministership. The BJP has always been very supportive of women candidates." He cites the examples of Jayvantiben Mehta, BJP MLA in Mumbai and the State BJP president Sangeeta Raje Nimbalkar.
The women politicians, however, feel all is not as the male leaders paint it out to be. Former MP from Beed and Pune district Congress president Rajani Patil elaborates on the hidden chauvinism women have to fight everywhere in Maharashtra. "Frankly speaking, the political leaders accept female leadership only as long as it assists them in their careers. If a woman tries to grow out of her shoes, she faces too many hurdles to reach any coveted position," she explains, "At the state level, it would take more open minds to make female leadership possible." She blames the dominant Maratha lobby mindset of women politicians too.
"They always talk of some godfather, some male to support their political activity. This attitude prevents their individual political identity."
sharvari.joshi@timesgroup.com