Meghalaya: Do women often shun politics? Leaders speak to Northeast Live

Meghalaya Cong working president Deborah Marak and first woman MLA from Jaintia Hills Santa Mary Shylla shared their thoughts with Northeast Live on this issue.

In matrilineal Meghalaya, women often shun politics. Apart from ruling NPP, none of the political parties have field women candidates in neither the Shillong seat nor the Tura Lok Sabha seat.

It is only the NPP who has fielded 2 women candidates from both the parliamentary seats.

While Ampareen Lyngdoh, presently a minister in the Conrad Sangma cabinet will be in fray from the Shillong Lok Sabha seat, incumbent MP and CM Conrad Sangm’a sister, Agatha Sangma will be contesting the election from the Tura seat.

But does women in Meghalaya really do not want to be a part of politics?

Northeast Live spoke to a few leaders on this issue.

Regarding this, Meghalaya Congress working president Deborah Marak responded to queries on as to why the party has failed to put up a single women candidate in the Lok Sabha polls, the reason behing women choosing not to go into politics and more.

Marak said, “We have put 2 men in both the seats in Meghalaya, but it does not mean we do not support women. But this time nobody applied. That is why we had to give both the seats to men.

It is not like that, they are coming forward definitely but it depends on the interest one has taken.

That is true not much women are interested in politics. Otherwise the women in Meghalaya have absorbed themselves in different fields.”

Asked about how was the party preparedness for elections to the Shillong Lok Sabha seat, Deborah Marak said, “Preparations are in full swing, we are really working hard all of us, all party workers even our Congress candidate he (Vincent Pala) is working really really hard.

The first woman MLA from Jaintia Hills, NPP’s Santa Mary Shylla also shared her thoughts with Northeast Live on this issue.

She said, “Yes actually women are a little bit shy in all over the state, but to this generation women started to pop up, they started to do their own work as you have seen how the SHGs (Self Help Groups) have grown huge in the state. So therefore even being the first legislator in Jaintia Hills, I feel that if I can encourage my people, for the last 50 years we do not have a legislator from Jaintia Hills, but now I am the first one. So if at all I will urge all the women of Meghalaya to please vote for Ampareen, because if she is there in the Parliament, she will encourage more women in Meghalaya.

It is much needed that we encourage more women and focus on them. The government is actually focusing on empowering women so I feel like, hopefully in the next 5 years we will get more legislators in Meghalaya and also if both the MPs win in this parliamentary election, than they can obviously encourage our people and empower them more and more.”

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