Anyone who witnessed the anger that spilled on to the streets of Delhi following the gang rape and death of a medical student last year would not be surprised that the issue of women’s safety was a priority at the state government elections yesterday.
Almost 12 million people were eligible to vote where the Congress Party, which has ruled the national capital for 15 years, was engaged in an electoral battle with its main opposition, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP, and upstarts the Aam Admit Party, with its focus on corruption.
Security was noticeably tight across the city with almost 33,000 Delhi Police deployed, along with 10,700 paramilitary forces to ensure peaceful elections.
In Lajpat Nagar, the heart of Delhi’s middle class, BJP and Congress members fought for votes in the Kasturba Nagar constituency, comprised of 128,000 voters.
“Corruption, inflation, safety for women and roads are the main issues we are fighting for,” Ashok Wadhwa, an active member of the BJP, said.
His son, Mohit, mirrored his father’s thoughts: “Why are women not safe on the streets? Why cannot they walk around at night not afraid that something is going to happen to them?”
Congress members said women’s safety and inflation were also priority election issues.
“Day by day prices are going up. The Indian dollar is falling and we are concerned,” one local said.
Meanwhile, a recent poll by the Hindustan Times found that 93 per cent of voters wanted tackling violence against women to be a priority for the new government.
Women activists called on Congress, BJP and AAP to endorse “Womanifesto”, a six-point plan released by campaign group Avaaz, aimed to curb violence against women in a city that is labelled the “rape capital of India”.
The manifesto, which has been supported by more than 50 civil society leaders, “could make Delhi safe for everyone”, activists said.
The six-point plan called on candidates to support education programmes to end the culture of gender-based violence, for more fast-track courts for serious offences against women and for a public protocol to be drawn up to make police more responsive to gender crimes, among others.
The Congress Party's leader in New Delhi, Sheila Dikshit, endorsed the plan while AAP leader Yogendra Yadav also came out in support.
Chief ministerial candidate for BJP, Dr Harsh Vardhan, told local media: “I welcome all initiatives and suggestions that will help make Delhi the safest city in the country for women and remove the tag of ‘Rape Capital of India’.”
But Kavita Krishnan, secretary of the All India Progressive Women’s Association (AIPWA), doubted the sincerity of the parties’ support.
“I am skeptical about pre-election support by political parties,” she said.
“The real test is post-poll performance. The support from the parties hasn’t really been all that whole-hearted. For us, the “Womanifesto” can be a charter of struggle for citizens in the year to come.”
Media reports suggested voter turnout was the highest since 1993, at more than 60 per cent.
The results will be announced on December 8.
