Uttarakhand: Be it the campaign against liquor, the Chipko movement or the fight for a separate state -- Uttarakhand's women have always led for the front.
But when it comes to contesting elections, political parties have given them the short shrift. The Congress and the BJP that often talk about giving women 33 per cent reservation in Parliament have not fielded even one woman contestant in the state.
The disparity hurts active Congress members like Shanti Juwatha who has been working for the party for over four decades now.
"It is sad that the party has not given us representation, but we agree to whatever the High Command has decided," she said.
It isn't any better with the BJP either. Party member Sushila Baloni has politically active since 1977, and now in her late 60s she hopes women will get their due in future.
"As far as Lok Sabha tickets are concerned, I am sure that in the coming years if not I, my colleagues will be elected to Lok Sabha," she said.
Women power in Uttarakhand has been a tool of convenience -- one that has been effectively used to spearhead movements.
But with only a handful of women candidates being fielded by smaller parties and none by major political parties, perhaps it is time for women to make a difference -- this time through their collective franchise.