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Lok Sabha elections 2019: Parties woo women voters with jobs, better healthcare
Candidates, cutting across party lines, said they are committed to improving lives of women voters in Gurgaon and have adequately represented women’s concerns through their manifestos.
From protecting women against sexual crimes to bettering higher education opportunities, candidates of various political parties have made several polls promises to women, who form almost 47% of the total voter base in Gurgaon.
Candidates, cutting across party lines, said they are committed to improving lives of women voters in Gurgaon and have adequately represented women’s concerns through their manifestos. The constituency has 10.05 lakh registered women voters.
The candidate of the Jannayak Janta Party (JJP)-Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) alliance, Mehmood Khan, has prepared a vision and action plan (manifesto) for women. Khan said that the creation of an equal city is among his five-point agenda of turning around the constituency and addressing women’s issues is a crucial component of the same. His manifesto outlines health, safety and job creation for women as important issues that need to be worked upon.
The manifesto also mentions setting up of self-defence training centres for women. “We will work towards laws, which, specifically protect women in the unorganised sector. Strict laws on sex-selective infanticide and abortions will be enforced,” reads the manifesto. It also pledges support to women’s demand of 33% reservation, at the assembly as well as the parliamentary level.
Congress’ Capt (retd) Ajay Singh Yadav said that specific proposals concerning women have been outlined in the national manifesto and the party has many schemes and initiates for women. “Women safety is a subject of prime concern. We will introduce special buses for women and expand the Metro so that girls and women can commute safely. More women police stations will be set up as well,” said Yadav.
“In order to encourage higher education, we will set up a new college for girls. We will also establish a university in Kankrola, which will give girls another option for higher education,” said Yadav.
The incumbent party, on the other hand, said that it would continue to work towards addressing women’s issues with a renewed spirit. “We will ensure that a women’s college is set up after every 10 kilometres. In the past five years, the number of women’s police stations went from 2 to 32, and in our next tenure, we will make it 64,” said Jawahar Yadav, spokesperson, BJP Haryana.
Women voters, however, said that parties failed to reach out to them with a holistic vision of the city. “Political parties have reduced the safety of women to a catchphrase. They talk about improving women’s safety but have no holistic road map for the same. One needs to envision a city where women have equal employment opportunities and are an equal stakeholder in the decision-making process. Mere rhetoric about safety can achieve nothing unless the living conditions in the city are fixed. So much more needs to be done,” said Mukta Naik, a resident.
