Panchayati Rule and Gender Awareness Training Institute (PRAGATI), a sister concern of RLEK, is organizing ten pre-election phase experience sharing sessions with the prospective candidates of the upcoming Municipal Body elections of Dehradun district.In Jharkhand, none of the Panchayat organisations held this kind of event.

In Dehradun, the training was attended by prospective female candidates for the post of parshads (Counselor for Dehradun Municipal Corporation). The number of participants attended training is 16 on 3rd April 2018. The project is supported by Australian High Commission.

Earlier the resource person Rekha Pundir  Master Trainer (Secretary PRAGATI), delivered a session on various norms and discrepancies related to Nagar Nigam elections like filing nominations, campaigning, voting etc, where she also added the reason of implementing this program. Further, she told the benefits of constitutional amendment 74th and 12th Schedule to the women. Rekha requested the participants to read these amendments and schedule as they would help them in parshads’ election and women participants to fight for their rights in elections.

She also answered queries from the participants on the same. The questions ranged from filing nominations to voting. Renu Rautela asked questions related to the “name in the voter list”. Sarojini Gurung queried “what is the number of oath certificates that we have to submit for filing nomination”. 

To which Pundir answered, “there are three types of affidavits are required”.

Anita (Former Parshad Anita, ward no: 53) “while sharing her experience appreciated the work of the team and head of the orgainsation. She advised participant to come forward raise your voice regarding the rights in the election”, She also said I appreciate the work of women as to go outside from home is a very big challenge. The ground reality one can understand when they get parshad ticket. Asha Sharma from her experience said women should work in unity. Adding to this another participant Kamlesh Raman said, “Male politicians usually run down female candidates and demotivate them during elections and do not provide any support to them. She added, “we must inspire other women especially housewives to come and establish themselves”

Tanya, Senior Lecturer Developmental Studies, UNSW Australia, took a session to ask participant their experience and “why they have chosen to fight for Parshad election”

This is the fifth in the 12 trainings amongst the pre-election phase. Therefore the brief of the training made the participants to aware on how to file nominations, documents to be submitted while filing nominations, points to remember while campaigning, and basic information to be given to voters while campaigning. Former parshads also shared their past experience with other participants on filing nomination forms; while campaigning for elections, during elections; challenges faced by women candidates etc.