UP polls: Congress trying to emulate us by fielding 40% women candidates, says TMC
On Tuesday, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had announced that the party will give 40% of its tickets to women in the upcoming polls.
The Trinamool Congress on Wednesday said that Congress was trying to emulate it by fielding 40% woman candidates in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
On Tuesday, Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had made the announcement about giving 40% of the party’s tickets in the upcoming elections to women. The polls are scheduled to take place in February or March 2022.
“Amid such dire times, the Congress is understandably trying to emulate, and one can only hope that this is genuine and not tokenism,” the Trinamool Congress said in a tweet. “If they are to be taken seriously, they must give 40% seats to women in states other than UP as well.”
The Trinamool Congress also claimed that it was the first party to give 40% of the tickets to women in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.
During the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the Trinamool Congress had fielded women candidates in 17 of the 42 seats that of West Bengal, according to the Hindustan Times.
Mahua Moitra, Mimi Chakraborty, Nusrat Jahan, Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar, Mala Roy and Satabdi Roy represent the Trinamool Congress in the Lok Sabha.
Meanwhile, senior Congress leader Pradip Bhattacharya said that his party did not need lessons on women empowerment from the Trinamool Congress, NDTV reported.
“It is the Trinamool Congress that is trying to emulate the Congress and poach on our leaders,” he said.
On September 29, former Goa Chief Minister Luizinho Faleiro joined the Trinamool Congress in Kolkata, two days after quitting the Congress. Faleiro said he was joining TMC because Goa “needed a credible alternative”.
In August, Congress former MP and Assam leader Sushmita Dev had joined the Trinamool Congress. She had also been Congress’ women’s wing chief.
Meanwhile, the Bahujan Samaj Party on Wednesday said that Congress’ decision to field 40% women candidates was an “election gimmick” ahead of the Uttar Pradesh polls.
“Do women not live in other states?” party spokesperson Sudhindra Bhadoria asked. “Then why such announcements are being made only for Uttar Pradesh?”