Out of the 16 Assembly elections conducted for the Odisha Assembly over the long 79 years, Ganjam district has sent only eight women MlAs. Curiously, six of them are royal doyennes notwithstanding the fact that the ancient monarchy and Zamindari system is passé.According to information available, A lakshmibai, sister of the former President of India Dr VV Giri, got elected to the State Assembly consecutively for two terms from the prestigious Brahmapur Assembly seat for which elections were held in 1937 and 1946. More significantly, she was the first women legislator to become the Deputy Speaker (1946-1951-52). No female legislators were elected from the district in the elections held in 1951-52. It is in 1957 Assembly election that Badakhemundi queen (the female monarch) Ananga Manjari Devi got elected to the State Assembly from Digapahandi constituency under Ganjam district, followed by Khallikote queen Sugyani Kumari Deo who got elected from Khallikote constituency in 1961. Deo got elected to the Assembly thereafter consecutively for nine more times such as in 1974,1977, 1985, 1990, 1995, 2000,2004, 2009 and in 2014, representing Khallikote and Kabisuryanagar constituencies. It is a record that she has created. Even though Deo is a ten-time legislator, she never showed any interest to become a Minister in the State Cabinet. Similarly, in 1977 Assembly election, the queen of Mahuri Rajbati Ratnamanjari Devi got elected to from the prestigious Brahmapur constituency, defeating her political rival and former Chief Minister Binayak Acharya.
Again in 1990 Assembly election, female monarch of Chikiti Usha Devi got elected from Chikiti constituency, while the queen of Dharakote Shanti Devi won Surada seat. Usha Panda got elected to the Assembly twice, from Aska Assembly constituency in 1995 and Surada seat in 2000. She, however, could become a State Minister once during the Congress rule.
Notably, Chikiti queen Usha Devi who got elected to the Assembly five times in 1990, 2000, 2004, 2009 and 2014 from Chikiti on BJD ticket could become a Minister twice. Similarly, in recently concluded 2014 Assembly elections, Dharakote queen Nandini Devi got elected from Sanakhemundi constituency.
In the State Assembly elections held during last three decades, Congress did not nominate any female royal doyennes except Usha Panda. The left parties have not fielded any female candidate in the Assembly elections from the district, while BJP’s Jayanti Padhihari had unsuccessfully contested in 2009 election from Polasara seat.
Not to be forgotten, there were a few female candidates who fought various Assembly elections from Ganjam as Independent candidates, but had to end up losing their nomination deposits. Significantly, none of the three major political parties, namely, BJP, Congress, and BJD, gave ticket to any female candidate in the last Parliament elections to contest from the district except in 1996 lok Sabha elections in which Khallikote’s Sugyani Kumari Deo contested from Brahmapur lS seat on erstwhile Janata Dal ticket. She was defeated by her political rival from Congress and former Prime Minister PV Narasimha Rao.
