New Delhi: An alliance of two all-women parties, which has decided to field candidates in 283 Lok Sabha constituencies in the upcoming elections, Thursday asked other political parties to help them win these seats if they were serious about 50 per cent representation of women in Parliament.
The alliance of National Women's Party (NWP) and the All Indian Women's United Party (AIWUP) also unveiled its election symbol -- bangle for Delhi, Uttar Pradesh and Bihar and a gas stove, allotted to it by the Election Commission, for the rest of the states.
While the AIWUP was formed in 2014 in Delhi, the NWP was formed in 2012 by Telangana-based doctor Shetha Shetty.
Among the NWP members are Padma Venkataraman, daughter of former President R Venkataraman, and Naina Jadeja, sister of cricketer Ravindra Jadeja, and actor Nithya Menen, who played J Jayalalithaa in the late Tamil Nadu chief minister's biopic.
Shetty stated that social and economic upliftment of women and increasing political awareness among them are the topmost agenda of the alliance.
"We will be fielding women candidates on around half the Lok Sabha seats and our mission is to secure 50 per cent reservation for women in Parliament. We intend to bring a women-centric narrative in the country's politics," she said.
The NWP and AIWUP will also organise a rally on the occasion of International Women's Day on March 8 to highlight problems and issues faced by women.
"We endorse the Beijing Declaration on Women's Right which is also UN Declaration, granting equal rights on all decision making process including political system," said National President of AIWUP, Nasim Bano Khan.
"Women, who constitute approximately 50 per cent of the population, has been ignored. Jawaharlal Nehru became the prime minister without contesting elections. Today we ask political parties to allow us to win 50 per cent of the seats, that we are contesting, if they were serious about gender parity and addressing women issues," she said.
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