By Express News Service
LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary and party’s UP in-charge Priyanka Gandhi Vadra announced that the Congress will give 40% tickets to women candidates in the UP elections due early next year.
While interacting with reporters here on Tuesday, Priyanka, however, dodged the questions on her own electoral debut saying she had not taken a call on it yet.
“No one is here to protect you. Only those who talk about protecting you are protected, but not you,” said the Congress general secretary while appealing for more women participation in politics. Accusing the state government of relegating women’s power to pension and kitchen, Priyanka said: “Together, we will change the politics of this country and this state. The government thinks Rs 2,000 and gas cylinder makes everything okay… We will get strong women candidates and we will support them. If not now, then they will become stronger by the next election,” she added.
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Continuing with her veiled tirade against the Yogi government, the Congress leader not only referred to the recent Lakhimpur Kheri violence but also said that the decision to reserve 40% tickets for women candidates was directed towards the Paro from Prayagraj who, when met her, expressed her desire to become a political leader. “This decision is also for the rape and burns victim of Unnao, of Hathras, for Vaishnavi, the sister of the martyred pilot from Chandauli, as she wanted to become a pilot,” said Priyanka.
Months ahead of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, the Congress party has decided that it will give 40% of the total election tickets to women in the state.
“The Congress party has decided that it will give 40% of the total election tickets to women. These tickets will be given on the basis of merit and not just on the basis of caste or religion,” she said.
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“This decision is for those Allahabad University girls who voiced their concerns that the rules in the university are different for men and women there, for the girl who urged me to set a pathshala during my Ganga Yatra, for the girl named Paro who I met in Prayagraj and dreamed of becoming a politician. For the woman in Chandoli who dreams of becoming a pilot, for the Unnao case affected victims, Hathras case affected victims and for the Lakhimpur Kheri girl who dreams of becoming a Prime Minister……,” she added.
In the 2017 Assembly elections, the BJP won a landslide victory winning 312 Assembly seats. The party secured a 39.67% vote share in the elections for 403-member Assembly. The Samajwadi Party (SP) bagged 47 seats, BSP won 19 while Congress could manage to win only seven seats
