PURDAH POLITICS IN ANDHRA

By Reema Subia

2 Muslim women set to test poll waters
Muslim women have been the subject of extensive debate in India, chiefly around the conflicting claims of personal law, identity and gender, but no party has bothered much about their representation in mainstream politics.

After a long gap, some Muslim women have been given the chance to contest the Lok Sabha and assembly elections in the state. While some like Fathima Begum (Hyderabad LS nominee) were named by Prajarajyam Party, two women — former mayor Mallika Begum, contesting from minority-dominant constituency of Vijayawada (West) and Pathan Noorjahan Khan, fielded from Pedakurapadu faction zone — are struggling to make inroads.

Well, both of them hail from average middle class families but their opponents are sparing no efforts to defeat them on the grounds that they are novices and incapable of facing the rough and tumble of elections.

Mallika Begum, who has been the first citizen of Vijayawada city for almost two years, won her division election with just 200 votes and became a mayor due to internal squabbles in Congress (read MP Lagadapati Rajagopal used her as a pawn).

Sources said Jaleel Khan, a minority community strongman, too had won the 1994 election with a thin majority of 3,108 votes from 26 divisions. “This means that he had secured a majority of only 119 votes per division, which is almost 45 per cent less than what Mallika got,” said a supporter of the latter.

Noorjahan’s predicament is no different as she is facing stiff resistance from the dominant Reddys in Pedakurapadu which has Muslim, Reddy, Kamma and Kapu population in equal numbers.

“Yet, Kapus and Muslims play second fiddle to Kamma and Reddy local landlords and this is where Noorjahan’s chances will take a nosedive,” an analyst said.

Ironically, Shaik Fathimunnisa Begum was the only Muslim woman who was sent to the assembly in 1972 from this constituency when Muslims were not sending their girls even to primary schools. Fathimunnisa had defeated local strongman Ganapa Ramaswamy Reddy (who by then had won three consecutive elections) with a huge majority.

When Fathimunnisa was replaced by Syed Mahboob in the 1978 election, he was defeated by Ramaswamy Reddy. “It is ridiculous to question the abilities of Muslim women. Both Mallika Begum and Noorjahan have proven themselves in electoral politics,” said a Congress party minority leader, supporting both their candidature.

Sources said Kanna Lakshminarayana, a Kapu, changed the social equations and ended the domination of two major players by winning four elections in a row. “It is to be seen whether Noorjahan, a graduate, can continue Kanna’s tradition and come out a victor,” he said. Kanna has shifted to Guntur West assembly segment this time.