Hridayesh for 50% quota for women in elections

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, November 29

Finance Minister Indira Hridayesh today stressed on higher percentage of reservation for women in the Assembly and parliamentary elections through passing of the Women Reservation Bill. She urged all political parties to arrive at a consensus for the same.

Hridayesh stated this while addressing a gathering of Congress workers here today. The gathering comprised of a fair number of women activists. She said 33 per cent reservation for women candidates in Congress party ticket allocation was insufficient and they should instead press for 50 per cent quota.

The Finance Minister said all political parties should ensure maximum number of tickets for women candidates in state Assembly and Parliamentary elections as it would give women more opportunities to showcase their prowess.

As women were giving a new dimension to panchayat and other local bodies due to reservation quota, the same would be replicated in the Assembly and Parliament as they were no less than their male counterparts when it came to politics and essaying roles as public representatives, she said.

Hridayesh urged party workers to gear up for the upcoming Assembly elections. This was the time when all party leaders and workers should unite and start preparing for the elections seriously, she stated.

“Honest and dedicated party workers will surely be given preference and weightage during ticket allocation. The Pradesh Congress Committee, Chief Minister, party state affairs in charge as well as party national high command is keeping a tab on the working of all party leaders and activists. We all have toiled hard, working at grassroots level and putting party before self. Political ambitions should not come in between party’s prospects as our political identity is only due to the party,” Hridayesh, legislator from Haldwani, said.

Lashing out at the demonetisation move by BJP-led NDA Government, the Finance minister said it was now for all to see that the Union Government was ill prepared to implement the financial move which had put questions on the finance policies of the Central Government.

Piran Kaliyar segment legislator Furkan Ahmed, veteran leader Chaudhary Rajendra Singh, zila panchayat vice-president Rao Affaq Ali, former legislator Ambrish Kumar, PCC vice-president Santosh Chauhan, former city unit president OP Chauhan, SP Singh, city women president Vimla Pandey, Hazi Naeem Qureshi, Mahesh Pratap Rana, Ashish Chaudhari, Ashok Adalati and rural unit women president Monika Chauhan were present at the gathering.