The chairman of Naharbari village council Tokheli Kikon.

DIMAPUR: In a state that has never elected a woman MLA, Tokheli Kikon 's journey is both an example and a lesson. The chairman of Naharbari village council, Kikon is the first and the only woman to have ever held this kind of an elected post in Nagaland which has over 1,200 villages.

As the 2019 general elections draws near, women will be a vital part of the campaigning process, but they will be denied any political leadership role in the highly-patriarchal Naga society. Therefore, it is quite significant when a woman shatters the glass ceiling at the grassroots and gets elected as the head of a governing body, and proves her mettle to be re-elected.

"Men have been good to me, I have been functioning as a chairman with their support," says Kikon, who became a member of the village council in 2000 and was first elected to the chairman's post in 2005.

"I have proven myself by creating assets of over Rs 3 crore for the village council. Built schools and other buildings from which we are earning rent now," she says. There was no such property when she started. Her stellar performance saw her getting back to the chairman's post uncontested twice.

Kikon's journey in public life started during the years of insurgency that left Nagaland bloodied and scarred. "I rescued a lot of youths when there was no ceasefire, and, in the process, gained confidence," says Kikon. "I am a grassroots worker and people are happy with my work."

Women form about 9.5 lakhs of the state's population of almost 20 lakhs, according to the 2011 Census. But she is of the rarest breed when it comes to a woman holding an elected office in Nagaland. "Naga men will harp on gender equality, but scratch the surface and you will see the patriarchal mindset of the people and the biased customary laws," says Kikon.

It hasn't always been a smooth ride for Kikon. The gritty 60-year-old mother of three has stood up to threats and worked for society. She has been physically assaulted for standing up to land encroachers who wanted to usurp a community pond. But the gritty woman put up a fight and managed to save it.

"We did miss her while growing up as she spent much of her time in social work but we are extremely proud of her," says Francis, Kikon's son, a law graduate. "She is unlike most women we see around us. She is so busy serving the poor," he adds.

Despite her achievements and popularity, it's not sure if she will be able to further her political career. "People expect me to fight the general elections but I don't have monetary power. Fighting elections in Nagaland is a very costly affair. And then there's the traditional mindset," she says. But Tokheli is ready for urban local body (ULB) elections, with or without the 33% reservation.

The issue of reservation for women in ULB is contentious and had Nagaland burning for days in 2017. At least two people were killed, several injured and shops and business establishments gutted by protesters from various Naga groups that were opposed to reserving of seats for women in the ULBs. "I will contest the polls and fight even if there is no reservation," says a confident Kikon.

