Congress gives ticket to 144 women candidates

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, April 3

The Delhi Pradesh Congress Committee has given tickets to 144 women candidates for the ensuing Municipal Corporations of Delhi (MCDs) elections.

Out of the 272 MCD seats, 210 tickets have been given to new faces, a majority of them highly educated youth.

DPCC chief spokesperson Sharmistha Mukherjee said that though only 136 seats have been reserved for women, the DPCC has also fielded women from general wards by giving eight more seats, to take the number of women candidates for the MCD elections to 144.

Addressing a press conference, former DPCC president and ex-MLA from Kalkaji Subhash Chopra said transparency has been the hallmark of the candidates’ selection by the Delhi Congress this time. He said over 39,000 grass-root workers were contacted over phone and consulted on their choice of candidates from their wards, before the final selection of the candidates was done by the party.

Chopra said winnability and the workers’ choice, with emphasis on women and youth, have been the sole criterion for candidate selection as there were many aspirants for tickets from each ward.

He said the system adopted by the party was foolproof and every section of society has been given representation in the candidates’ selection.

“A very balanced approach has been taken for ticket-distribution, keeping in mind the changing demography of Delhi. Due care has been taken to ensure proper representation of all frontal organizations like Mahila Congress and Youth Congress”, Chopra added.