After the recent induction of party's Hoshiarpur MP Santosh Chaudhary in the Union Cabinet, the Punjab Pradesh Mahila Congress on Thursday staked its claim at 4 lok Sabha tickets.
Already, two lok Sabha MPs from the State - Preneet Kaur from Patiala, and Santosh Chaudhary from Hoshiarpur - are ministers in the Central Government. Rajya Sabha MP Ambika Soni is too enjoying a senior position at the national level and has been handling important assignment. In fact, the party is encouraged by the All India Congress Committee's decision to nominate Soni as National General Secretary.
Putting forth the demand for four tickets for Congress women candidates in Punjab in the upcoming 2014 lok Sabha elections, its president Malti Thapar maintained that it's their “right to have four out of total 13 lok Sabha tickets in Punjab.” Thapar had also raised the demand of at least 30 per cent share in the total seats during the 2012 assembly polls. In fact, post elections, Thapar had claimed that the results would have been different in case the women candidates were given “their due representation.” On the need of strengthening party's women wing, Thapar asserted that the State Mahila Congress would soon organise district-level seminars to give feedback to our workers for next Parliament elections.
"Development of Punjab is only possible if Congress government came to power in Punjab and so we are aiming to strengthen the party for the lok Sabha elections," she said after the meeting of party's state women wing at Punjab Congress Bhawan on Thursday.
Reiterating AICC vice-president Rahul Gandhi's assertion of fortifying the workers at the grass root level, Thapar maintained that the Mahila Morcha would focus from district and booth level. "There is a need to go to the booth-level. We will also ensure that from whichever block the Congress women members stand for the polls, the whole team will unanimously support them," said Thapar.
Reacting on the statement of Congress leader Jagmeet Brar that stalwarts need to step out and fight the lok Sabha polls to counter the Akalis and BJP in Punjab, Thapar maintained that its his "personal" views. She added, "Stalwarts needed to step out but not necessarily fight the elections."