Hyderabad, August 10: In a bid to attract women voters in the State in the municipal elections, the ruling Congress is contemplating providing 50 per cent reservation for them.
The elections, however, may not be held on schedule (September) but in in March or April next year. The informal two ministers’ committee comprising B Satyanarayana (panchayat raj) and A Ramanarayana Reddy (municipal administration and urban development), is going to make a proposal to chief minister K Rosaiah in this regard.
Women already have 33 percent reservation in local bodies and it could be enhanced up to 50 pc.
The government has to conduct elections to the urban local bodies (ULBs) in September this year. However, it is going to defer them citing that the municipal staff are preoccupied with census work, which will be completed in February.
The party will use the time till then to work on improving its electoral prospects.
As of now, the Congress is not sure of winning even half of the local bodies in the State, leave alone retaining all the bodies currently held by it. In 2004 elections, it had won 75 ULBs and a majority of the corporations, almost 70 percent.
The municipal administration minister has directed officials of all the ULBs to complete development programmes by December this year, so that the party could benefit from the achievements in the elections. Many of the schemes are close to completion.
As this alone will not put the party in a position of comfort, the Congress is planning to reap women’s votes by increasing their quota.
It hopes to consolidate these votes through the women’s self-help groups, which are working very well.
–Agencies