The Mahila Congress in Uttarakhand has demanded that the party should field women candidates in at least 20 out of the total 70 Assembly constituencies in the coming Vidhan Sabha election.
Addressing the media at the Congress Bhawan here on Tuesday, the Mahila Congress State president Sarita Arya emphasised on the need for according proper representation to women and adequate presence among the candidates to be fielded by the Congress in the assembly election slated to be held in 2017.
Speaking on the occasion, the Mahila Congress State president informed that the All India Mahila Congress head, Shobha Oza is also expected to visit the State during a three-day training workshop to be organised by the Mahila Congress for its workers in Haridwar during the month of November.
Stressing on the need for enhancing the presence and political functioning of women party members, Arya said that they had communicated their demand to the Congress leadership to allot party tickets to at least 20 women candidates out of the total candidates to be fielded in the 70 Vidhan Sabha constituencies in Uttarakhand during the Assembly election to be held in 2017.
While stating that this demand had already been submitted to the party leadership, Arya exhorted Mahila Congress workers wanting to contest the Vidhan Sabha elections on the Congress ticket, to submit their resume and related details to the Mahila Congress in order to enable presentation of the same before the party high command for consideration.
In reply to one of the queries raised by the media regarding speculation about Congress leader from Uttar Pradesh, Rita Bahuguna Joshi leaving the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party, Arya opined that this would not be an unexpected development considering that her brother and former Chief Minister Vijay Bahuguna had shifted from the Congress to the BJP.
Regarding the functioning of the Congress-led Government in Uttarakhand, Arya averred that the State was witnessing execution of varied developmental works under the leadership of Harish Rawat as the State Chief Minister.