Decades after Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party was born from a Hindu nationalist organization dominated by men, its sustained electoral gains depend on women, the rising power of Indian elections
nation, where equality advocates say a deeply entrenched patriarchy has defied the rapid pace of economic development and modernisation.
The party also plans to recruit more than 900 women into positions within its internal staff, seeking to have at least one-third female representation at every level of management, Srinivasan added, with the jobs coming from a combination of new roles and those vacated by retirees. Some critics of the BJP also say that if it was fully committed to equality, it could pass a bill to reserve a third of seats in the lower house of the parliament for women before the 2024 election, as it enjoys a majority. The party declined to comment on this option.
Phangnon Konyak, who became the first female lawmaker in the upper house of parliament from the northeastern state of Nagaland last year, said that during the selection process local political leaders often questioned her ability to focus on the election because she is a single mother."The battle is intense for parties to prove to us women that we stand a chance of securing senior positions," Konyak added.
Indeed Modi, 72, is going big on equality, stressing last month that India could only develop as a nation by evening out representation in all walks of life: "All of you must move ahead with the determination to remove every obstacle before women, sisters and daughters," he told a conference.
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