The Samajwadi Party, which has never let women play a key role in its decision-making, has now decided to actively involve women in campaigning in the run-up to next year’s Assembly elections.
The Samajwadi Party, which has never let women play a key role in its decision-making, has now decided to actively involve women in campaigning in the run-up to next year’s Assembly elections.
The Samajwadi Mahila Sabha has been directed to form small groups and reach out to women voters at the state, divisional and district levels.
Dr Ranjana Bajpai, who heads the Samajwadi Mahila Sabha, will soon hold a two-day workshop to be addressed by SP president Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his wife Dimple, a Lok Sabha MP. The participants will be briefed on the tone and tenor of the party’s campaign, that is likely to focus on the Akhilesh Yadav government’s work for women in the past four years.
“While the main campaign will focus on several other areas, the women’s campaign will be restricted to the work done for women’s welfare and security. The 1090 women’s power line, Samajwadi Pension Scheme, schemes for acid survivors, Rani Laxmi Bai award for women and ambulance services for pregnant women are schemes that have brought a sea change in the lives of women in the state”, said Dr Shweta Singh, state president of the Samajwadi Mahila Sabha.
Mahila Sabha activists will connect with women in their homes, inform them about various schemes and apprise them of the changing face of the party under Akhilesh Yadav’s leadership. A woman SP leader said: “Till now, women viewed the Samajwadi Party as a male-oriented outfit, but under Akhilesh Yadav and with Dimple Yadav becoming more active, the perception is changing. We only need to reinforce this in our campaign.”
The Akhilesh government has only two women as junior ministers, Aruna Kori and Shadab Fatima. With Sonia Gandhi as Congress president, Mayawati as BSP supremo and the BJP projecting Smriti Irani, women will play a key role in the 2017 UP campaign and the Samajwadis too want to spruce up women power.
“Women will play a crucial role in the rural interior. Rural women are not aware of the party’s changing face as they neither watch television nor read newspapers. Mahila Sabha members will reach out to them and tell them about the party’s new policies and programmes. We hope to get majority support from women voters this time”, said a party leader.
