Motihari, June 16: Chief minister Nitish Kumar’s initiative to reserve 50 per cent seats for women in the three-tier panchayat elections has helped several men to fulfil their political ambitions. Often the husbands of the representatives are representing them at places where physical presence is required.

Nitish’s drive has given enough opportunity to some men to run the show on behalf of their elected wives. The trend, common since 2006 in East Champaran, repeated itself recently at a joint meeting convened by the district units of the RJD and the LJP to felicitate the newly elected members of the district board.

Of the 57 seats in the district board, elections were held for 56 seats. Twenty-eight female representatives were elected.

Of them, three attended the meeting. Nineteen women members were represented either by their husbands or other male members of the family. Six did not turn up at the meeting.

The 19 dummies also accepted felicitation on behalf of the elected female representatives.

“Over the past five years, dummies of these elected representatives have been participating in official meetings, including selection of schemes, block panchayat committee, general body meetings of panchayat samiti and others,” said Ajay Kumar, a defeated candidate in Dhekha panchayat.

Former mukhiya (head) of Barashankar panchayat, Ram Padarath Sharma, and employees of several blocks in the district echoed Ajay.

The trend was clear in the last tenure (2006) of gram panchayat where barring a few, most of the 205 women mukhiyas were represented either by their husbands or other male members in the family. In this term, too, their successors seem to have treaded the same path.

“Although we are happy that the democratic set-up is becoming strong in East Champaran, as revealed by the results and voters’ turnout in the panchayat elections, the goal for 50 per cent reservation for women in the three-tier panchayat system has failed. The constitutional rights and powers of most of the elected members continue to be enjoyed by dummy candidates — male members in the family,” said the district president of RJD, Bachha Prasad Yadav.

A similar trend was in vogue in Patna Municipal Corporation till some time ago. Husbands of women councillors used to take part in the civic body’s meetings.