KCR Gave Only 7 Seats To Women, Kavitha Responds

BRS chief and Telangana CM KCR released the list of candidates who will contest on his party’s support in the upcoming assembly elections in the state. However, there’s considerable backlash for only selecting seven women among the recent BRS list of ticket recipients.

Furthermore, KCR’s daughter, who had previously advocated for the Women’s Reservation Bill in Delhi, became a target of criticism, in this context.

In the general elections from 2004 to 2018 in Telangana, the BRS party allocated the fewest seats within the Telangana region. During these four elections combined, Congress granted the most seats to women (38), followed by TDP (35), BJP (32), and TRS with only 16 seats. Notably, KCR did not offer any seats to women in the original 2009 election.

Even in 2018, when KCR unveiled a list of 107 candidates, only four were women: Gongidi Sunitha, Padma Devendra Reddy, Kova Lakshmi, and Rekha Nayak.

In the 2014 election manifesto, TRS emphasized the importance of harnessing women’s power for national development. However, it granted the most seats to women in a single year that year (10 out of which six were won). His daughter, Kavitha, faced more criticism than BRS party president KCR for women’s ticket distribution, stemming from her past advocacy for women’s reservation.

Kavitha initiated agitation in Delhi for a bill demanding 33 percent reservation for women in legislative assemblies and parliaments. When questioned about not granting women tickets at that time, KCR responded, “Change should happen across all parties, including one’s own.”

With the recent ticket allocation issue, opposition parties targeted Kavitha. Sharmila criticized on Twitter, “Winning seats requires effort within the state, not dubious maneuvers in Delhi. Be the change you seek.”

BJP President Kishan Reddy likened the Bangaru family (KCR Family) to thieves in Delhi. Congress President Revanth Reddy also voiced criticism.

Kavita responded to these critiques by highlighting BRS party’s 50 percent reservation for women in local bodies. She questioned why Congress and BJP, previously and currently, haven’t championed the Women’s Reservation Bill. Kavitha cited instances where these parties fell short in delivering women’s representation.

BRS party was accused of pursuing candidates who didn’t receive tickets, signaling their understanding of ticket allocation pressures. The plea was for political uncertainty not to hinder women’s representation.

Kavitha referred to Kishan Reddy’s proposition to increase parliamentary seats and reserve a third of them for women, suggested by Chief Minister KCR.