Varanasi :

A group of enterprising women here has formed an all-woman political outfit – the Bharatiya Awam Party (Rashtriya). They want to “usher in change in the male-dominated political system”. Although the party will skip this year’s LS polls, it will field candidates in the next UP polls.

“We are working for women’s empowerment in all fields, including politics. Women make up half the country’s population, yet their representation on the national political spectrum is negligible,” Najma Parveen, president of the party that promises 10% quotas for men, says. So far over 35,000 women, mostly Muslims, have joined the party after it came into existence on January 23, 2013, Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose’s birth anniversary. The poll panel registered it this January 9.

“Since most women are not members of a party, they are indifferent to political ideologies. Their voting choices are dominated by men in their families. We want to make them politically aware,” party general secretary Nazneen Ansari said.

Both young women at the helm of affairs have Master’s degrees in conflict management and development from Banaras Hindu University. “We are getting overwhelming response and have received over 50,000 receipts for primary membership,” Parveen said.

Unlike other political parties, the membership process of this party is rigorous. According to the office-bearers, membership is granted only after strict verification of the aspirant’s voter identity card. Each member is provided with a registration number. A data bank with details such as address, assembly constituency, parliamentary constituency and voter ID number of the member is prepared.

“We have received over 50,000 receipts of primary membership. But so far about 35,000 sisters have been granted membership after verification,” they said.

These numbers clearly suggest that the party is holding command over a significant number of committed voters who might become a subject of envy by other political parties. However, that is yet to be seen.

source: http://www.timesofindia.indiatimes.com / The Times of India / Home> City> Varanasi / by Binay Singh, TNN / March 08th, 2014