Analysis| Odisha CM’s nomination of Pramila Mallick as first woman Speaker is more than just a symbolic gesture

The nomination of Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick for the Speaker’s post by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik may be perceived as a symbolic gesture amid the parliamentary debate on the women’s reservation Bill, but the veteran Chief Minister has been consistently nurturing his core vote bank – women – since his initial days of rule.

The nomination of Odisha Revenue and Disaster Management Minister Pramila Mallick for the Speaker’s post by Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik may be perceived as a symbolic gesture amid the parliamentary debate on the women’s reservation Bill, but the veteran Chief Minister has been consistently nurturing his core vote bank – women – since his initial days of rule.

Given the brute majority, the ruling Biju Janata Dal (BJD) enjoys in the Assembly, Ms. Mallick is all set to become the first woman Speaker of the State.

Political analysts attribute the long innings of Mr. Patnaik, who is the second longest serving Chief Minister of the country, to steady support from women in the past five elections. The BJD is also banking on women for the coming election.

Mr. Patnaik carried forward the legacy of his father, Biju Patnaik, who was credited with being the first Chief Minister in the country to initiate 33% reservation for women in the panchayati raj system. In 1991, Orissa Grama Panchayats Act 1964 was amended to make such a provision.

A year later, Constitution 73rd and 74th Amendment Acts were introduced which reserved one-third of seats for women in panchayati raj institutions and offices of the chairperson at all levels of panchayati raj institutions, and in urban local bodies respectively for the first time.

The Chief Minister was instrumental in passing the Odisha Panchayat Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2011, raising the reservation for women in panchayat raj institutions from 33% to 50% which came into force during 2012 panchayat elections.

Despite political parties harping on the passage of the women reservation Bill for the past several decades, most of the parties had not shown sincerity in raising women’s representation in Parliament in their own level. In the 2019 election, Mr. Patnaik had fielded women from seven out of 21 Lok Sabha seats – which accounted for 33% representation. There are five women Ministers in the 21-member Patnaik Cabinet.