Caving in to immense pressure from top level party functionaries who had reportedly objected to the announcement of 50 per cent tickets to women in the State Assembly election, Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan was forced to retract the statement on Friday.
In an effort to cover up Chouhan's announcement, which is considered by many senior party leaders as untenable, a letter was issued by the Press Cell of Chief Minister's residence to the media here on Friday.
The letter says the reference to BJP giving 50 per cent tickets to women in the Assembly elections, published in most local newspapers on Thursday, is misleading.
It claims that in the announcement made in Hoshangabad on Wednesday, the Chief Minister actually meant that 50 per cent of tickets would be given to women in the elections to urban bodies and not in Assembly elections.
"Referring to District Panchayat chairperson Yojangandha Singh, who was present on the stage, the Chief Minister had said that we have allotted 50 per cent tickets to women due to which she is sitting on the stage. We would give 50 per cent tickets to women even in the future. This shows that he was referring to elections of local bodies and not Assembly elections," the letter states.
At the same time, this U-turn has given a shot in the arm of the Congress, which did not lose any time in targeting the BJP. The clarification is ridiculous because the provision of 50 per cent reservation of seats for women candidates in urban local bodies is already there and therefore all parties gave 50 per cent of tickets to women candidates. The BJP has not done anything special, leader of Opposition Ajay Singh remarked. "Several BJP leaders, including Sudha Mallaiya and Neeta Patairia have already welcomed the statement of the Chief Minister. Now, he should explain what the truth is and also if the BJP would give 50 per cent of tickets to women," Singh said.