Insufficient poll candidates renders fight for quota nonstarter, rues KPCC women’s wing chief

Shyam Sundar Vattam I NT

The number of women getting to contest, and win, Assembly and Lok Sabha elections has been in the talk since long, but is still a distant dream.

While they enjoy 50 per cent reservation at least in local bodies in some states including Karnataka, the women's reservation bill is still pending in Parliament due to a lack of consensus among political parties as none wishes to reserve even 33 per cent of seats for the “fairer sex”.

Consequently, there has been a lack of representation for women in the Assemblies and Lok Sabha. Karnataka Pradesh Congress Committee Women's Wing Chairperson Dr Pushpa Amarnath shares plans that cover the tricky subject during the 2023 Assembly elections to be held in Karnataka with Shyam Sundar Vattam of News Trail. Here are some excerpts of their tête-a-tête.

NT: How many seats have you asked for women in the coming Assembly polls from your party?

Dr Pushpa: We have asked for only 30 seats of the total 224 seats as women aspirants have not applied for tickets in many of the constituencies. Only some interested to contest in the coming Assembly elections have applied.

Unfortunately, applications have not come from all 224 constituencies. What can we do if they don't show interest? The women's reservation bill is still hanging in the air and if that is passed, 65-70 seats will have to be given to women candidates. Of the total 1,480 applications received from interested aspirants in the Congress party, only 80-odd applications have come from women.

Even this is a record in the history of the Pradesh Congress Committee with so many applications having been received from women. Even after the last date for applying, still, some women aspirants are sending in requests for tickets. The list has come to me and I need to sort it out. Two to three applications have been submitted for each constituency.

Applications have been received only where there is a likelihood of winning. Of the total 86 applications received, we will ask for 30 tickets for women candidates.

NT: How has the response in Bengaluru's Urban and Rural constituencies been?

Dr Pushpa: Of the total 28 Assembly segments, women have applied for only five constituencies. Had they come forward and applied for tickets, their cause could have been taken up with the state and national leaders. In Bengaluru, Jayanagar MLA Soumya Reddy has applied, so have defeated women candidates of the 2018 Assembly polls.

Compared to previous elections, the number of applications received from women aspirants is a record this time. Hitherto, women were not at all coming forward to contest elections. The cost of application and the security deposit made mandatory by the PCC may have prevented a majority of women from applying for a ticket.

Due to awareness, we have received around 80 plus applications. Before analysis, we would receive only 20-30 applications. Another thing is that they cannot apply for tickets in all constituencies. For the entire Mysuru district, only two have applied, no application has been received from Chamarajanagar, two have come from Mandya district, two from Shivamogga, three from Dakshina Kannada, one from Hassan and two from Chikkamagalur.

More women have come forward to contest from reserved constituencies, which indeed is a good development, like Nagathan and Shirahatti. From Shiggaon general constituency, a woman has given an application to take on Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.

NT: What's the next step? When will you vet the applications?

Dr Pushpa: Already, one meeting of the committee was held where I announced that for the first time 86 applications have been received. I requested they give 33 per cent of the seats to women, but it was not possible due to the absence of the reservation policy. Since possibility to win is a criterion in the coming election, I will request them to give 30 seats but settle for 20 seats.

There are five sitting MLAs and quite a number of defeated candidates like Sushma Rajagopal Reddy, Kusuma Hanumanthaiah, Gangambike, Geetha Shivaram, Nagalakshmi, G Padmavathi, Samyuktha Patil, Kantha Nayak, Rekha Huliyappagoudar, Nayana Motamma, Mala B Narayana Rao, Sujatha Dodmani, Nagamani Jinkal, Anitha Kumari, Pallavi and Jayalakshmi Nayak.

NT: Did you visit all 224 constituencies to undertake a study about where all women candidates could win?

Dr Pushpa: No survey was possible because they have shown interest to contest in the election only now. No application has been received from sitting women MLAs. But there are a few constituencies where women candidates will win. For