HYDERABAD: Despite reservation of 50 per cent seats for women in upcoming Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) elections, there are more males than women on the list of candidates released by the Telangana State Election Commission (TSEC).
In fact, just a single glance of the full list of candidates published by the TSEC shows that there are 581 men and 541 women in race for capturing the 150 divisions within the GHMC limits. In unreserved divisions, parties seem to have allotted more seats to male candidates instead of women. Moreover, the number of independent women candidates contesting is far lower than men – 172 women against 208 men.
Even in case of women, who are in the race, the show in most cases is being run by male family members. It is TRS that maintains that it has fielded more women candidates than any other party – 84, against Congress' 75 and BJP's 73 women candidates.
Last month, the State Legislative Assembly amended the 1955 municipal Act to facilitate 50 per cent reservation of seats for women in the limits of Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation. Further, reservation of seats for scheduled tribes, scheduled castes, backward class, and women would forthwith be fixed for two consecutive terms, rather than changing reserved seats on a rotation basis for every election.
