Rise in number of women ticket aspirants in Telangana

ADILABAD: With elections approaching, the number of women ticket aspirants increased in all the major parties in the erstwhile Adilabad district. This is even as political parties have not warmed up to the idea of 33 per cent reservations to women in legislative bodies.

A total of 14 women candidates are aspiring for party tickets for the SC, ST and general seats in the erstwhile Adilabad district while Kova Laxmi of BRS got the ticket for the Asifabad seat.

As of now, there are nine women ticket aspirants in the Congress party. There too, their numbers are high in the SC and ST constituencies in the region.

Many candidates are applying for Congress ticket this time amid expectations that the party’s winning prospects would be high this time unlike in the last elections.

Many women leaders are competing with male leaders within the party for party tickets and claim they deserve recognition in view of their services to the party and under the concept of ‘social justice to women’.

More than 10 women are seeking tickets from the BJP, the Congress and the BRS. Marsakola Saraswathi of the Congress is seeking a ticket while Kova Laxmi of the BRS got the nomination from the same seat.

While TPCC general secretary Gandrath Sujatha and Suhasini Reddy of BJP are aspiring to contest the Adilabad seat, Charulatha Rathod of the Congress and Bhukya Janaki of the BJP are seeking tickets from the Khanapur seat reserved for ST and Parvathi Rathod and Thodasam Dhanalaxmi of the Congress from Boath. 

On the other hand, BRS Khanapur MLA Rekha Naik, who was denied a party ticket, also applied for the Congress ticket for Khanapur.

Padakanti Rama Devi of the BJP is seeking the ticket from Mudhole though she is working as Nirmal district party president. She contested the last two elections but was defeated.   

Former MLA, A Sridevi of the BJP and Durga Bhavani and Rodda Sharada of the Congress party from their respective parties are aspiring for party tickets from Bellampalli reserved for SCs.

Ramindla Radhika and Dasarapu Vidyavardhini of the Congress applied for the party ticket from Chennur, reserved for SCs.

Asifabad ZP chairperson Kova Lami, Rekha Naik of Khanapur and Sridevi of Bellampalli had been MLAs from their respective assembly constituencies.

Rama Devi, Gadrath Sujatha, Suhasini Reddy and Marsakola Saraswati had contested for MLA posts in the past polls but were defeated. Suhasini Reddy worked as Adilabad ZP chairman and contested as an independent in the assembly elections from the Adilabad assembly constituency.

TPCC general secretary Gandrath Sujatha expressed confidence that women leaders will win the elections if given a chance in politics and said she was hopeful the party would do justice to BCs and women in terms of giving party tickets this time.