Shakti, a non-partisan collective for women in politics, has been doing several campaigns in the run-up to the upcoming Lok Sabha elections to push for more women candidates and representation. The latest in their activities in this regard is an event, Shakti – Maximising Women Elected To Lok Sabha in 2019, which will be held on Tuesday evening at the Constitution Club in New Delhi.
The list of speakers includes many prominent names, such as former actor Divya Spandana who currently handles social media & digital communications for the Congress party; Rajya Sabha MP Kanimozhi; Congress MP Sushmita Dev, Secretary of the All Indian Progressive Women’s Association Kavita Krishnan, and BJP member and former chairperson of the National Commission for Women Lalitha Kumaramangalam, among others.
Shakti, which was founded in December 2018, brings together women from different walks and political leanings with the agenda to encourage more women participating in politics, and subsequently have better representation.
In the past, Shakti has done several campaigns like Call your MP and batting for the revival and passing of the Women’s Reservation Bill as well. The Women’s Reservation Bill was approved by the Rajya Sabha in 2010 but relapsed in the 15th Lok Sabha.
Last month, a delegation from Shakti had met DMK Working President MK Stalin and urged his party to give 50% tickets to women candidates in the upcoming general election.
“In the last election, a mere 5% of tickets were given to women by the DMK. Women are half the society and the social justice legacy of DMK has little meaning if political justice is not done to Tamil women. Unless political parties change their own internal mechanisms for women's representation in election committees and candidate selection process, it will be the same old recycled men candidates and India cannot make much progress,” Shakti’s co-convener Tara Krishnaswamy had said.