Women voters more grounded, look at track record over promises'

Chandra Prabhu | NT

Bengaluru: Women voters, according to political activists, look more on the groundwork of their representatives rather than the promises made if they are elected in return.

The Lok Sabha polls in India, the largest elections in the world, kicked off on April 19.

Three constituencies in Bengaluru will go to polls on April 26, the second of a seven phased election. Manifestos from prominent parties have set a few promises.

Reservations for women, levelling the pay gaps and ensuring security are a few.

“Parties have now realised that the vote share for women has increased. Parties in states like Odisha, Bihar, and West Bengal have woken up to the rise, and have included them in their parties. However, Krishnaswamy claims that this was all to garner votes in their favour.

“Women voters look more at the track record and the groundwork of their representatives, rather than the manifestos,” she said.

“Women tend to be more grounded - they look at what the representatives have brought to them, and to the constituency that they’re a part of,” she stated.

The Siddaramiah led Congress government which came into power last year in Karnataka, introduced the ‘Shakti’ scheme which avails free bus travel for women and ‘Gruha Lakshmi,’ which avails monetary aid of Rs 2000 to the head woman of the family.

“Schemes like these are a guiding force,” Krishnaswamy added.

She also pointed out the poor performances of incumbent Member of Parliaments (MPs) elected from Karnataka.

“They were quiet on key issues like the Tak devolution and the drought relief, which will be considered by people here,” she further added.

Vinay Sreenivas, Human rights activist, felt that the cost of education for the children, and the overall inflation plays a role in their decision to vote.

“Working class women look into things that impact their livelihood. They would also assess the job opportunities available for them. A women voter from Bangalore South constituency, on the grounds of anonymity said that their choice depends more on the individual, rather than the party.

“It’s important to look at what they’ve done both on ground and Parliament," added the resident.