Ahead of the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the BJP is gearing up to allocate up to 30% of its tickets to female candidates in Uttar Pradesh. The party has initiated surveys across all Lok Sabha constituencies to identify ‘qualified’ women contenders. The BJP Women’s Wing is also set to host conferences in various districts, aiming to underline the importance of women’s reservation.
Insider information suggests the party is looking to nominate women in constituencies they lost in the past, including those unfavourable due to caste dynamics. Following the SP’s announcement of offering 20% of their tickets to women, BJP feels the impetus to outdo this percentage.
However, this move might result in the sidelining of many veteran male MPs. It’s rumoured that some might push for female family members to take their place, though the BJP appears to favour women party workers over familial candidates.
In 2019, out of the 80 seats in Uttar Pradesh, BJP and its ally Apna Dal (S) fielded female candidates in 11 seats, yielding nine female MPs, three of whom hold ministerial positions in the Modi administration. On a related note, after the enactment of the Women’s Reservation Bill, the Congress has launched a nationwide campaign questioning the bill’s provisions and critiquing the BJP-led government.