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Cong to give 40% tickets to women in UP polls, says Priyanka
This decision is for every woman who wants to bring about a change, fight for justice and work for unity and development, says AICC national general secretary
LUCKNOW Looking to consolidate its support base in Uttar Pradesh, the Congress on Tuesday announced that it would give 40% tickets to women in the UP assembly elections slated for early next year.
The party, which could win only seven seats in the 403-member UP house in 2017 polls, had decided to put its bet on women in the UP elections.
“The Congress will give 40% tickets to women in the forthcoming UP elections,” said Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi while speaking to media persons at the UP Congress Committee (UPCC) headquarters with ‘Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’ (I am a girl, I can fight) slogans painted in the backdrop.
The AICC national general secretary and in charge of party affairs in Uttar Pradesh said the decision was aimed at making women, who constitute roughly half the vote bank, a “full-fledged partner in power.”
The announcement by the Congress leader was greeted with the bursting of firecrackers and slogan-shouting by women workers who were watching the press conference on a large screen installed in the party office.
Priyanka called upon women to join politics to change the “politics in Uttar Pradesh” and said applications for tickets would be accepted till November 15.
“This decision is for every woman who wants to bring about a change, fight for justice and work for unity and development. Only women can bring about a change because they have compassion, they are firm and they have the power. We promise to ensure full participation of women in the state’s politics,” she said.
Whether the Congress would extend the same (40% tickets to women) to the national level or other states, Priyanka said she was the general secretary in-charge of UP and it was for other state units to take a call on the issue.
The Congress leader said if she had her way, the reservation for women candidates in distribution of party tickets may have been 50%.
The AICC general secretary tasked with regaining the party’s lost ground in the political heartland, however, was non-committal about contesting the upcoming state polls herself. “It has not been decided as yet,” she quipped in response to a question on the possibility of her contesting the polls.
About leaders seeking tickets for their wives or other family members, she said: “What is the harm if people want tickets for their wives or other women of their family? When they fight elections, they get empowered.”
Priyanka Gandhi also used the occasion to target the BJP government on Lakhimpur Kheri incident where eight people, including four farmers, died recently. “This government shows how it can protect those who crush people. This is wrong,” she said.
Referring to all women she met over the past two years, including police women who detained her in Sitapur, Priyanka said: “It was pitch dark in Sitapur. I was surrounding by the police including women cops. I also argued with them. They asked me to sit in a jeep and took me to Sitapur police lines. One of them was Madhu and the other was Pooja. They were on duty till 4am. This decision (40% tickets for women) is for them as well.”
Asked whether the party would be able to get women candidates, she said: “Yes, we will get candidates and they will contest the election. If they don’t get sufficient strength this time, they will get it next time. We will help them fight the election.”
“This is a good move. Every political party should follow it. The decision, if followed by other parties too, will bring about a social change and discipline to politics,” said Professor SK Dwivedi, former head of department, political science, Lucknow University.
“The Congress has never worked for women and is now talking about 40% reservation for them only in view of UP assembly elections,” said Chandra Mohan, spokesman, UP BJP.
BJP MP and former UPCC president Rita Bahuguna Joshi said the Congress did not have any consideration for women and she felt humiliated when she was in the Congress.
BSP chief Mayawati described the announcement as “pure election drama.”
“The Congress remembers women, Dalits and backwards only when it is out of power. When in power, it could have brought a law for 33% reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies,” she tweeted.
