With Notable Exceptions, SP-MP Phenomenon Still Undermines The Rise Of Women Politicians In Bihar

For an average Indian, SP stands for Superintendent of Police and MP for Member of Parliament. But in the last decade, specifically the rural parts of in north India, the two abbreviations have taken on new meanings — sarpanch pati and mukhiya pati.

The phenomenon of husbands of female elected representatives hijacking the decision-making role of their wives has now transgressed into the upper echelon of power in Bihar.

How Did It Begin

While Parliament kept dilly-dallying on providing reservation to women in democratic institutions, Chief Minister Nitish Kumar took the initiative of reserving 50 per cent seats for women in panchayats. 

In 2006, it was unthinkable for many women in Bihar to acquire a leadership role in an authoritative way.

The reason being that not even a year ago, they were forced to live like women in Afghanistan under the Taliban — going out only with male relatives, constraining their clothing choices, not allowed to pursue education, all because the security environment was not conducive in Lalu Yadav’s Jungle Raj.

It gave a sense of control and authority to male members. But, the move to provide them 50 per cent reservation challenged it. For men, who ran the show unchallenged until then, the immediate solution was to field their wives, mothers or sisters for these posts as proxy candidates.

Thus, a majority of 1.3 lakh reserved seats in panchayat elections were effectively occupied by men through such measures. After the woman they had supported took oath, these men, mostly husbands, took charge. It continues to this date.

With the electoral process over, they would roam around in villages, sit at key destinations as ‘mukhiya ji’, meet officers at block and district levels, forge their wives’ signatures for collecting funds.

They would accompany their wives to places where they couldn't wield power on their own due to media attention, but still controlled the reins, playing the role of their spokespersons in public.

Prevalent Everywhere

The phenomenon is prevalent in the majority of 20 states which have provided 50 per cent reservations for women in panchayat. Prime Minister Narendra Modi appealed to end this culture in 2015. The matter even went to the Supreme Court which said that issue is not under its jurisdiction. 

It is so common today that it has found coverage in pop culture — Brij Bhushan Dubey, one of the central characters of Panchayat TV series on Amazon Prime, is a 'Mukhiya Pati'.

Though Panchayati Raj institutions are meant to provide feedback to state and national levels, leaders, mainly bahubalis in Bihar found another use for it as well. The SP-MP phenomenon now started to resonate in assembly and general elections.

Improved law and order under Nitish saw infamous strongmen like Pappu Yadav, Mohammed Shahabuddin, Munna Shukla, Anand Mohan, Suraj Mahto, Anant Singh, Ajay Singh, Awadhesh Mandal, Surajbhan Singh and Chandan Singh among many others facing criminal trials — lot of which turned in conviction and subsequent disqualification. 

To retain their political feudal states, these leaders found glimmers of hope in the MP-SP phenomenon. This has become so common now that when Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren was arrested, nearly all media outlets started projecting his wife as the next chief minister of the state.

Anand Mohan’s wife Lovely Anand, Sahabuddin’s wife Hina Sahab, Ajay Singh’s wife Kavita Singh, Suraj Bhan Singh’s wife Veena Devi, Anant Singh’s wife Nilam Devi, Awadhesh Mandal’s wife Bima Bharti, Pappu Yadav’s wife Ranjeet Ranjan, Munna Shukla’s wife Annu Shukla and Ashok Mandal’s wife Anita Kumari are some of the famous wives who emerged as alternatives for their husbands.

Few of these bahubalis even credited their leaders for this idea. Ashok Mahto, who recently married due to electoral compulsion said that he did it on the advice of Lalu Yadav, the head of Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD). 

Similarly, when asked about why he married Kavita, Ajay Singh said “Bihar ke raja bole ki shaadi kar lo toh ticket de denge [The Raja of Bihar told me to get married to get an election ticket].” He was referring to Nitish Kumar.

Hina Sahab, Lovely Anand, Bima Bharti and Anita Kumari are trying their luck in the 2024 lok sabha election as well. 

With experience, many of them learned the art of political acrobatics as well. They now sound more confident, more articulate and know their way around visual politicking.

Despite that, final authorities lay in the hands of their husbands.

The Silver Lining

Amidst this atmosphere of suffocating control, new generation of woman leaders are showcasing deviation from normal.

Shambhavi Choudhary, Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) candidate is one such name. Though Choudhary’s candidature is widely attributed to her father Ashok Kumar Choudhary, she is capable of driving her political career on own.

Choudhary is an alumni of Lady Shri Ram College and the Delhi School of Economics. Her PhD subject is women empowerment, a hint for those who want to understand how assertive she will be.

Lalu Yadav’s daughter Rohini Acharya is another such figure. She first rose to prominence by donating a kidney to her father. Her Saran’s Lok Sabha candidature in 2024 hints a willingness towards creating a political niche. She has been vociferous in taking up the party's cause and is seen doing shows on her own as well as with brother Tejashwi Yadav.

From RJD, Ritu Jaiswal is one such woman who chartered her political territory herself.  She first came into limelight in 2016 by winning mukhiya election from gram panchayat Raj Singwahini of Sitamarhi.

In 2018, she was awarded the Champions of Change Award by Venkaiah Naidu, then Vice President of India. Jaiswal contested the 2020 assembly election from RJD ticket, but lost by 1,569 votes. In 2024, she is challenging Lovely Anand from Sheohar Lok Sabha constituency. 

In what can be easily termed as reversal of MP-SP phenomenon, Jaiswal’s husband Arun Kumar contested and won mukhiya election from her Raj Singwahini seat.

Lalu Led The Pack?

The phenomenon is bizarre for the country which saw Indira Gandhi establishing a political identity of her own.

It is not that the phenomenon did not become a topic of discussion among the average people of Bihar. But, most of the time questions around it are laughed over or dismissed. The assumption is that the one who has asked is either naive or not aware of social reality for the day.

When the answer arrives, it mainly arrived in the form of  ‘appeal to authority’ — MPs and SPs say that those senior to them in power do that, even Nitish Kumar knows it. When quizzed further one answer this writer got was, “Lalu Yadav himself used Rabri Devi as rubber stamp after his resignation from chief minister post, other bahubalis also constantly do it, who are we to not do so”.

Rabri’s rubber stamp image was indicative of a deeply rotten control system. It needs correction and needs it quickly.