KOHIMA, March 14 (NEPS): State government’s recent models of providing 33% reservation of seats for women candidates have not gone down well with many organizations opposing it.
Making Government’s stand very clear, Minister for Urban Development Dr Shurhozelie, while talking to sections of media here today, reminded as to how he travelled all the districts except Mon and Zunheboto to have wider consultations with civil societies with regard to the 33% reservation seats for women candidates in Municipal and Town Councils in the State. He also said the other two districts---Zunheboto and Mon---were also covered by his officials and had similar consultations.
He disclosed that leaders of the civil societies including tribal hohos were opposed to the idea of providing 33% reservation of seats to women candidates in Municipal and Town Council elections in the State. “In all these interactions and consultations, they were all opposed to the idea of providing 33% reservation of seats to woman candidates, not because they didn’t like it but their apprehension was such arrangement would interfere in the social, cultural and traditional institutions of the Nagas,” the Minister stated.
“So after gathering all the information out of the consultations and interactions with the civil societies, I met my officials and among ourselves had series of deliberations and strongly felt that women should be given due share of representations in Municipal and Town Councils in the State,” Dr Shurhozelie explained.
So they had recommended for the nominations of the women candidates for 33% and even discussed to increase the percentage to 50% in all the Municipal and Town Councils without facing elections. Unfortunately, when the matter was to be placed before the Cabinet, women leaders went to Court and finally the Court came in favor of them for 33% reservation of seats for women in all Municipal and Town Council elections in the State.
“If our recommendation was agreed upon, we would have conveniently given 33% reservation to them (women) in all the Municipal and Town Councils in the State without facing elections,” the Minister said. “Because we would introduce by now in the Assembly for Amendment of the Act.”
