He’s the Man… for the Women

A desperate Shiv Sena is banking on a male television show anchor to get them women’s votes.

The Shiv Sena has an aggressive women’s wing which is always at the front during violent agitations. So, it’s a little ironical that the party, fresh from the beating in the Lok Sabha polls, is now betting on a man to get women’s votes in the upcoming Maharashtra Assembly election. Actor and anchor of popular Marathi show Home Minister Adesh Bandekar happens to be the chosen one.

Bandekar is a well-known face in Maharashtra. The reality-cum-quiz-cum-game show testing women on how well they know their household ends with Bandekar handing out Paithani saris, a traditional dress costing a minimum of Rs 5,000 to winners. He has a huge middle-class Marathi female fan base. He’s called Maharashtrachya Bhauji (Maharashtra’s brother-in-law) and is a feature at exclusive women’s events. A female tour operator once invited him as the only male guest in an all-women’s Europe tour. Hysterical women soon queued up at the tour operator’s office.  All of which has contributed to Sena’s executive president Uddhav Thackeray calling him “the appropriate representative of women”.

Women’s issues have never figured high on the Sena’s agenda. The only utility for the women’s wing has been as a sloganeering force. Nor have women leaders been allowed to grow. Even nationally renowned activists like Dr Neelam Gorhe, a deputy leader of the Sena, have not got their due. Gorhe, once a member of the National Task Force set up by the Centre to formulate a policy for women, has helped tackle trafficking of women, domestic violence and other women’s issues. She has seen her stature diminish after joining the party. Bandekar being projected as its ‘women’s leader’ is just another indication of the Sena mindset. Bandekar is confident of doing his job. “Home Minister has been a wonderful platform. I am confident women will vote for the Sena,” he says.

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Haima Deshpande