The percentage of women “missing" from the electorate has shown an alarming rise according to recent data, but we’re suddenly in the spotlight. Political parties have discovered the female voter even if we are still figuring out how to band together so our vote really matters.

Now if only our politicians could abandon their self-appointed roles as protectors of a culture that insists on defining women as mothers or sisters and think of us simply as citizens with equal rights. Spare us the long speeches on how your rivals don’t “respect" women. We haven’t seen too much evidence to indicate that any political party respects the power of Indian women. Show us how many women your political party has empowered with nominations before you talk of empowering us.

We don’t need your protective CCTV and GPS-heavy electoral solutions to save us from the evil “out there" in cities. Use that money to rehabilitate the urban destitute instead. Acknowledge that violence against women stems from attitudes perpetuated by the same society you wish to govern, the same society that’s fine with marital rape.

Those plans for self-defence training for schoolgirls? Try gender sensitization classes for young male students instead. Teach them how to make a good cup of tea. Teach them what it really means to be a strong man. Teach them that women have as much right to the public sphere as they do. Keep in mind that when it comes to our children, girls and boys face abuse. Please help train our girls to be financially independent.

Spend money on a Feed Your Girls First campaign. Solve the personal hygiene problem that forces so many girls to drop out of schools across the country when they start menstruating. Encourage our young female sports stars to excel so they can be icons for the next generation.

Try practising, then preaching. We dare you to grab every opportunity to tell conservative voters in your constituency how you backed your daughter when she said she wasn’t yet ready to be anyone’s wife or mother; or how you were cool when she said she was marrying a man from another religion; or when she told you she preferred women to men. And if you must go on about the importance of mothers, how about promising us that you will make it compulsory for companies to offer crèches at the workplace?

Please spare us the ladies-only buses. If you are determined to go down that road, why stop at buses? Keep the other half off all public spaces from 9pm to 1am. We’re prepared to tuck in our men and hit the streets after dark; after all, we grew up with ladies timings for swimming pools and gyms.

You want us to feel safe? Promise to penalize anyone who has a rape theory that is linked to mobile phones, the Delhi Metro, our love for Indian Chinese or our right to display clavicle, teeth and every other body part that “encourages" Indian men to rape. Make the punishment harsher if the person is an office bearer of your political party.

In short, respect our right to eye contact before you tell us to vote for you.

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