MP Polls: Samajwadi Party to reserve 20% of tickets for women, says Akhilesh Yadav
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday promised that 20% of all tickets in Madhya Pradesh will be reserved for women, while lashing out at the BJP for failing to give women 33% of tickets in the list of candidates it has released for the state.
«I want to tell our female workers. If any of our mothers, sisters and daughters is a functionary and has worked in her area, it does not matter whether the BJP fields 33% women or not, Samajwadi Party will give 20% of its tickets to women and give them an opportunity,» Yadav said, adding that the BJP should reserve 33% of its tickets for women for MP polls as well as the Lok Sabha polls to prove that their intention while bringing in the law was noble.
Yadav was addressing a party workers' gathering in Rewa in MP during his two-day election tour of the state.
Samajwadi Party, which has a minimal presence in the state has so far fielded seven candidates for MP assembly polls.
«They (BJP) painted a picture in the Lok Sabha that they have brought the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam bill and after the passing of the bill they started campaigning vigorously telling women that they will be able to reach the Vidhan Sabha and Lok Sabha. They have recently released a list of candidates.
Tell me if 33% of the candidates are women? Are Dalits, Tribal women given a chance in the list?» Yadav said to the party workers.
Yadav also invoked the example of Phoolan Devi and reminded workers that Mulayam Singh Yadav fielded her for Lok Sabha polls even in the face of stiff opposition by other party leaders and it was the SP who sent Phoolan Devi- a voice of the poor- to the Lok Sabha.
