Kannur: All India Congress Committee spokesperson Shama Mohamed expressed disappointment with the selection of Congress party candidates for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections. Shama Mohamed stated that women and minorities were not considered in the selection process. This dissatisfaction arose after the Congress announced its candidates from Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections.
Shama Mohamed said that Rahul Gandhi’s statement referred to 50 percent female representation. However, last term there were only two women candidates, whereas this time it was reduced to ‘one.’ She added that Kerala has more than 51% of the female population. Despite this, there was only one woman candidate from the Congress party for the election.
Shama Mohamed stressed the importance of allocating constituencies to women where the Congress party is likely to secure victory, rather than assigning them to areas where the party lacks confidence. She highlighted that Ramya Haridas received a ticket solely because Alathur is a reserved seat. Her statement came a day after the Congress announced its 16 candidates from Kerala for the upcoming Lok Sabha elections, with Ramya Haridas being the only woman on the list.
Shama Mohamed claimed that women’s votes were shifting to other parties and suggested that having more women candidates would help regain these votes. She argued that women candidates could better understand the issues facing women in society.
Shama Mohamed’s remarks gain significance with Padmaja Venugopal, daughter of senior Congress leader and former Kerala Chief Minister K Karunakaran, recently joining the BJP and alleging neglect from the Congress party.
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