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Cong under pressure from women candidates

By Spl correspondent

NEW DELHI, June 12 � Come Assembly election and the Assam Pradesh Congress is likely to find itself in a quandary, as pressure from women aspirants is all set to mount on the ruling party to reserve 33 per cent seats for the fair sex.

Party sources said representatives of Pradesh Mahila Congress have started lobbying with the AICC to ensure 33 per cent seat allocation for women candidates in the Assembly polls next year. This is despite the announcement by president of Assam Mahila Congress, Sarifa Begum that they wanted at least 20 per cent of the Assembly seats for women.

In the last Assembly polls, the ruling party nominated 24 women candidates, which is less than the 33 per cent seats. Assam Assembly has a strength of 126 seats, and a 33 per cent seat reservation, roughly translates to 42 seats.

Among the political parties, the ruling Congress Party would be hard pressed to nominate 33 per cent seats given the stand of the AICC and the ruling UPA Government. Amidst much politicking, the Women�s Reservation Bill was tabled in the Rajya Sabha during the last Budget Session of the Parliament.

Though it seem unlikely that the Bill would be passed any time soon, the ruling Congress Party may come under pressure to set an example by nominating maximum women candidates.

A representative of the Pradesh Mahila Congress told this newspaper that they are shortly going to meet top leaders of the AICC to press for nomination of 33 per cent women in the forthcoming Assembly polls.�We want Assam to set an example,� the Congress leader, who requested anonymity said.

President of the Assam Congress Bhubaneswar Kalita MP, when contacted told this newspaper that no decision has been taken on reserving 33 per cent seats for women candidates. First the AICC has to take a view on the issue and then the PCCs may follow suit.

However, he added in the same breath that if suitable candidates were found then the number of women candidates may go even higher than 33 per cent. �Why 33 per cent, it may even cross 50 per cent,� he claimed.

Kalita said winability and suitability factors may be the prime criteria in the selection process.

A State Congress leader said the main problem before the PCC was finding suitable women candidates in Assam. He said though the Party was keen to nominate more women representatives, dearth of suitable candidates was the main hurdle.

The ruling party in the last Lok Sabha election nominated only one women candidate Ranee Narah.

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