NEW DELHI, India, August 17 (ANI): The team of office-bearers announced by BJP President Nitin Nabin on Monday has a significant presence of women, in line with the party’s efforts to increase women’s representation at various organizational levels.
The team of 65 office-bearers announced Monday includes 12 women. Of the 13 vice presidents named by the party, six are women. Former Union Minister Smriti Irani has been given a key role as party general secretary.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, former Andhra Pradesh BJP chief D. Purandeswari, former Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Bharti Pravin Pawar, and party leaders Varshaben Narendrabhai Doshi, Rekha Verma and Dr. Madhuchanda Kar have been appointed vice presidents. Vasundhara Raje and Rekha Verma have been retained as vice presidents.
The national secretaries include party MPs Kavita Patidar, Phangnon Konyak and Sangeeta Yadav. BJP MP Roopkumari Choudhary will head the Mahila Morcha, replacing Vanathi Srinivasan.
Preeti Gandhi has been appointed social media co-convenor. The number of women office-bearers in the new team is higher than in the outgoing team. The outgoing team had no woman general secretary.
The BJP has been pushing for early implementation of women’s reservation in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies based on delimitation, which would also lead to an increase in the number of seats in the lower house of Parliament.
In his Independence Day speech Saturday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi recalled the contributions of women to nation-building. Highlighting their role in the spread of technology and strengthening the armed forces, the prime minister also emphasized the economic empowerment of rural women, expressing pride in tribal women manufacturing advanced microchips in Sanand after receiving technical training overseas.
Noting that the ambitious target for financially empowering rural women had been surpassed with the achievement of three crore Lakhpati Didis, Modi set a new target of 6 crore to drive regional transformation.
“The incredible confidence I saw in those daughters who are today doing the complex work of chip manufacturing truly impressed me,” he said.
Commending the capable leadership provided by women serving as public representatives, the prime minister appealed to all political parties to end decades of delay and swiftly implement one-third legislative reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies.
“Come forward in the honor of those women, take the credit, but absolutely give my mothers and sisters their rightful due,” Modi said.
The new team of BJP office-bearers also has significant representation from states scheduled to hold elections early next year, including Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Punjab. (ANI)
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