BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik has decided to give 33 per cent of tickets to women in the ensuing Lok Sabha elections, said 5T chairman and BJD leader VK Pandian at a function organised by Biju Mahila Janata Dal at the Sankha Bhawan here to mark International Women’s Day.
Pandian said in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, BJD had given tickets to 33 per cent women and the party president wants to continue with the trend in the upcoming polls.
Stating former chief minister Biju Patnaik was the first to reserve seats for women and give 33 per cent seats to them in panchayat elections, Pandian said his son Naveen Patnaik went a step further and reserved 50 per cent seats for them.
The 5T chairman said the chief minister created an example in the country by reserving 70 per cent posts of zilla parishad president in the state. He said the chief minister was the first to raise the demand for 33 per cent reservation of seats for women in Lok Sabha and state Assemblies. Though passing of the Women Reservation Bill in Parliament was delayed due to opposition from some quarters, the chief minister implemented his policy to give more tickets to women at all levels. The policy of empowerment of women at the grassroots has made the BJD a social movement, he added.