BHUBANESWAR: Odisha chief minister and BJD president Naveen Patnaik on Sunday put into practice what he has been preaching for long — give more representation to women in electoral politics. Hours before the Election Commission of India announced the dates for the Lok Sabha and assembly elections, Naveen announced that his party will reserve 33 per cent of the tickets for women candidates in Lok Sabha polls — a first such move by any political party in the country and one which is likely to endear him and his party more among women voters. Naveen’s anouncement means the BJD will field at least seven women candidates from the 21 parliamentary seats on offer in Odisha.“Odisha will send 33 per cent women to Parliament in the coming election,” Naveen announced while addressing a huge congregation of women self-help groups (SHG)s at Kendrapada, around 80 km from capital Bhubaneswar.Women voters are considered to be the key behind BJD’s electoral success in the past two decades. Of the 3.18 crore voters in the state, more than 1.54 crore are women. In 2014, the party had fielded two women candidates from Jajpur and Keonjhar Lok Sabha seats. Another one was voted to the Lower House following the Kandhamal by-election in October 2014.Naveen said the announcement at the sacred land of Lord Baladevjew, the presiding deity of Kendrapada, will create history in the journey of women’s empowerment in India. He said women of Odisha will show the way regarding women’s empowerment in India.It must be mentioned here that with this decision, Naveen followed in the footsteps of his father and former Odisha chief minister Biju Patnaik, who had announced 33 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and government jobs in early the 1990s.“If India is to lead the world, if India is to be an advanced nation like America and China, then women’s empowerment is the only answer,” Naveen said.The BJD president was instrumental in the Odisha assembly passing an unanimous resolution on ensuring 33 per cent reservation for women in Parliament and state assemblies. Naveen had himself approached other leaders as well as written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking his intervention on clearing the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament.Naveen’s pro-women initiatives started immediately after he assumed charge as Odisha’s chief minister in March 2000. His Mission Shakti initiative, launched during his first term in office for economic empowerment of rural women, has attracted around 70 lakh members. Recently, he announced interest-free loans for self-help groups up to Rs 3 lakh.To bring more women into the decision-making process at the grass-roots level, Naveen enhanced the reservation of seats in panchayat and urban local bodies from 33 per cent to 50 per cent in 2012. The BJD government has taken several steps in empowering women, like issuing ration cards and land documents in the name of women members in a bid to recognise them as head of their families.Naveen’s announcement, though, was met with derision. “Why did Naveen announce the decision to field 33 per cent women candidates in Lok Sabha polls and not for the assembly election?” BJP spokesperson Sambit Patra asked.

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