Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress members have asked the party high command to give tickets to at least 30 women for the Assembly polls.
Published Jan 14, 2023 | 1:19 AM ⚊ Updated Jan 14, 2023 | 1:20 AM
AICC General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi will be taking part in a massive convention of women - Naa Nayaki in Bengaluru on 16 January. (Wikimedia Commons)
With the 2023 Assembly polls nearing, the Congress is leaving no stone unturned in terms of election preparation.
The latest move is AICC general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra participating in a massive convention of women — named “Naa Nayaki” (I am a leader) — at the Palace Grounds in Bengaluru on Monday, 16 January.
This is the first political event being organised by a national party exclusively for women in poll-bound Karnataka.
In a bid to woo women, the Congress has not only promised to release an exclusive manifesto for them but to also give party tickets to numerous women aspirants.
Priyanka Gandhi’s visit to Bengaluru has gained more significance among the women workers in the Grand Old Party. It will be her first visit to poll-bound Karnataka in 2023.
She is expected to not only address the gathering but also interact with the elected women members of the Gram Panchayats of various districts at the one-day event.
Confirming Priyanka’s visit to Bengaluru, KPCC president DK Shivakumar told a reporter: “A massive convention of women leaders will be held on 16 January. Women are our assets and we aim to empower them.”
He added: “Priyanka Gandhi Vadra will take part in the massive convention. The party has invited suggestions for the women’s manifesto till 15 January. She will go through the proposals and ideas and address the convention of women.”
Talking about the event, Jayanagar MLA Sowmya Reddy told South First: “In this one-day event, the party will accumulate inputs from women — irrespective of their religion, caste, and creed — from across the state. We will also speak about the challenges being faced by women in society.”
He explained: “Women are fighting for their rights in all sectors, including in Information Technology. Even major social issues are also being raised by them in recent times. This event will be more about ensuring what the Congress would do for women if voted to power.”
In a bid to hear the issues being faced by the women in the rural areas, the Congress has invited at least two elected woman members from each Gram Panchayat to participate in the convention.
In Chikkodi, Shivakumar said: “I have asked the two elected woman members of each village panchayat to take part in the convention. Priyanka Gandhi is likely to interact with these members on the issues they are facing in villages.”
Over 25,000 women from across the state are expected to take part in this convention, claimed party sources.
The Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress urged the party’s high command to give at least 30 tickets to women candidates for the April-May Assembly polls.
According to Congress sources, “The party has received around 1,250 applications from aspirants seeking tickets to contest in the upcoming Assembly polls. Among them, 109 applications have come from women alone. The applications from women have been received for a total of 74 Assembly segments.”
Karnataka Pradesh Mahila Congress president Pushpa Amarnath told reporters: “I have urged the party high command to give tickets to at least 30 women. We have received an overwhelming response from the women party workers on the applications invited from aspirants. This itself is a revolution.”
She added: “Winnability will be the ticket for the ticket distribution. Scrutiny is underway for the winning candidates.”
At present, there are six women MLAs from the Congress in Karnataka: Laxmi Hebbalkar from Belagavi Rural, Kaneez Fathima from Gulbarga North, Roopakala Shashidhar from KGF, Anjali Nimbalkar from Khanapur, Sowmya Reddy from Jayanagar, and Kusumavathi Shivalli from Kundgol.
Meanwhile, there are three women legislators in the BJP and from the JD(S) in the Karnataka Assembly.
“In Uttar Pradesh, under the headship of Priyanka Gandhi, the party had given 40 percent of the tickets to women in the 2022 Assembly polls. Winnability will be the main factor while finalising the ticket distribution,” MLA Sowmya Reddy told South First.
“The party will give priority to women in every Assembly poll. It may also be noted that the Congress fields the highest number of woman candidates in the polls when compared to the other parties,” she added.
In order to woo women to vote for it, the Congress has decided to announce an exclusive poll manifesto for them for this April-May Assembly polls. The party has invited suggestions from the public for the women’s manifesto.
KPCC president Shivakumar told reporters: “The Congress will be rolling out a separate manifesto for women as they account for nearly half of the population in Karnataka. We have also decided to distribute a guarantee card to women.”
Reddy said: “Women across the state are facing many issues such as nutrition deficit. Under the BJP’s regime, women are being regressed and are unsafe. Moral policing and unemployment are some of the major issues that are a concern for women,” Reddy pointed out.
“Our manifesto will be more about ensuring education, health, and employment,” she explained.
