In India, the Lok Sabha elections play a key role in the democratic process by choosing the country’s future leaders and direction. All political parties have been disclosing the names of their candidates for the forthcoming Lok Sabha elections. Although the Modi government enacted a women’s reservation bill, the BJP maintains that it always looks out for the welfare of women and supports their empowerment. However, when it comes to allocating seats to women and providing tickets, the BJP falls short of its claims.
Only 16% of the 417 candidates on the BJP’s published list for the next Lok Sabha election are women, accounting for 68 seats. Of them, 40 women are either politically connected or have a political history.
When we spoke to BJP spokesperson Shazia Ilmi, she emphasised that the BJP is committed to increasing the representation of women in politics and will prioritise deserving candidates when given a level playing field. She also highlighted the importance of choosing candidates who have the potential to win elections.
Congress spokesperson Atul Londe stated that the BJP’s Women Reservation Bill is merely a scam. Under Modi’s government, criminals like Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh, Kuldeep Sengar, and others are given big portfolios. He further said the party, which advocated for women’s empowerment, has shown its true colours with the number of female candidate seats given for the Lok Sabha elections. It’s all a scam.”
NCP-SCP faction leader Rohini Khadse said, “The BJP has also historically treated women unfairly, citing Indian President Droupadi Murmu as an example. She added that since she was not even invited to the new parliament’s inauguration, it is absurd to believe that they would allocate a significant number of seats for women in elections.” It is clear that the BJP’s actions do not align with their rhetoric regarding women’s empowerment.
