Women wings eye bigger pie

BJP Mahila Morch hopes for 33% tickets, Cong expects 1 candidate in each district

The stress seems to be on the fairer sex this Assembly elections. Both the ruling BJP and the Opposition Congress are going all out to woo women voters with each promising a record share of tickets for female candidates for the December polls.

While the BJP is likely to give 33 per cent of the total 182 tickets to women candidates, the Congress is planning to have at least one woman fight the election from each district (26).

If implemented, both these figures will be historic highs for women representation in Gujarat elections.

"BJP is the only party which has given utmost importance to women. At present, we have 15 elected MLAs and three Lok Sabha members from Gujarat, which is the highest-ever.

Of the 22 (women) candidates who fought the (2007 Assembly) elections under the party's banner, 15 won. Our government has already presented the 50 per cent women reservation bill in local bodies (pending with the Governor) and we support 33 per cent reservation for women in state (Assembly) and at the national level (Parliament)," said BJP Mahila Morcha president and Lok Sabha member Jayshriben Patel.

"In 2007, we fielded the highest number of women. And this time, we will give tickets to even more women candidates. We expect the party would give tickets to women for 33 per cent (around 60 seats) of the total seats," she added.

The party will also be campaigning hard to attract women electorate. "Against Congress's fake promise of 'Ghar nu Ghar', we will inform women voters about how many houses we have already given to poor women in the last 10 years. The state government has handed over Rs 1,600 crore to Sakhi Mandals, which is women empowerment in real terms. Our government has done exceptionally well for the 18 to 25 age group women's economic, social and educational welfare. We will ask women voters to vote for us on the development done by our government in last ten years," Jayshriben said.

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