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A revolution in the offing in BJP?

NEW DELHI: The Bharatiya Janata Party could see a sort of a revolution within three months as by then, 33 per cent of all party positions could go to women.

Although the Congress party made a similar commitment a few years ago, it has not been able to find enough women to fill up the posts. The BJP is hoping to become the first party in the country to do so.

The two-day National Council session of the party starting January 28 is expected to adopt an omnibus resolution, to be moved by party president Rajnath Singh in the chair, recommending induction of women in 33 per cent of all party positions in each body of the party within three months and approving amendment of the party constitution to make this effective.

This could bring about a major change in the composition of the party’s national council, the national executive, parliamentary board, the central election committee, central party office-bearers, state level office-bearers and district and ‘mandal’ level committees.

Apparently, the lists of women to be included in the party’s national executive and other bodies right down to the ‘mandal’ level have already been prepared by the party’s Mahila Morcha to forestall the possibility of ‘deserving women not available’ cries. The party’s women’s wing is making sure that no one robs women of positions that will become due to them on the plea that deserving women are just not around.

The party’s national executive has 81 members, and, therefore, 27 should be women. “A list of 42 women who could be included as members of the national executive is ready,” senior leader Sushma Swaraj told The Hindu here on Wednesday.

“The executive already has 13 women members, initially 14 more can be added from this list. Of course, it is the prerogative of the party president Rajnath Singh to induct new members,” Ms. Swaraj said, adding that the president was keen to make the change and this could be done “within three months” as recommended by her report, which was adopted at the party’s Bhopal national executive committee meeting.

The president of the Mahila Morcha may be inducted as an ex-officio member of the Central Election Committee almost immediately and at the State level, the State mahila morcha presidents would sit on the State election committees.

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