BJP, Congress target BJD over 33% reservation for women demand 

With less than a year left for the 2024 general elections, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has been using strategies after strategies to woo voters in its favour. As of now, it has set its eyes on the women voters of the state. 

The party has decided to raise the issue of 33 percent reservation in the Lok Sabha and Assemblies. But, the Opposition BJP and the Congress have alleged that the party has been raising the issue only to woo women voters. 

The women voters in Odisha are 50 percent of the total electorate. And the BJD knows it well that the women voters can emerge as game changers. In the last general elections, they played a vital role in ensuring the victory of the party. 

This is why Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has decided to raise the demand of women reservation bill in the Monsoon Session of the Parliament. He has also asked to raise this issue at BJD Parliamentary Party Meet and the executive meeting of Biju Mahila Janata Dal. 

“If he has been demanding 33 percent reservation for women, he should first pass a resolution in the Odisha Legislative Assembly stating that we will give 50 percent women legislators of the total 147 ones. We would be happy if they pass the resolution and send it to the Parliament,” said Prabhati Parida, a BJP leader. 

Congress leader Bandita Parida said, “They are raising the issue only because the general elections are round the corner. They play Mahila Card when an election is approaching.”

In her response, BJD MLA Latika Pradhan said, “He (Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik) has plans to give much more importance to women.”

In the 2019 Lok Sabha elections, the BJD had given tickets to 33 women candidates. But it didn’t replicate it in the Assembly elections. Instead, the party had fielded 19 women candidates of the total 147 seats. 

“The Chief Minister has given chances to women and will do the same in the future as well,” said Revenue Minister Pramila Mallick. 

“He (Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik) may field the women members of the present MLAs. It will create a different election wave in the nation. The anti-incumbency slogan will definitely lose its strength,” said senior journalist Rabi Das.