Some Quotes, Tweets covered in Media - Kavitha Reddy

BBMP Election: Sham called ‘Women Reservation’

Dear Rahul Ji,

You breezed in and out of Bengaluru warning the Chief Minister and City Ministers of serious action in case INC losses BBMP Elections, good to know that you are talking tough and telling the Ministers who are from Bengaluru City to win or get ready to be axed. There is no doubt whatsoever that if all the INC MLAs and Ministers who are from Bengaluru City work in the interest of the party, INC will get an absolute majority in BBMP Elections.

But at what cost remains the mother of all questions, with unnecessary and uncalled for delays in the BBMP Election process INC lost its initial advantage to a great extent, and with the method in which the candidates are selected raises very serious questions on the intent and motive.

Inspired by the growing anger among the people demanding better candidates from political parties, I decided to contest BBMP Election, as per the process I submitted my application and a detailed two page profile to KPCC. A look at my application and profile will only suggest that there cannot be a better candidate than me to contest BBMP Election on an INC ticket.

Clean, Credible & Committed, with a good understanding of Civic Administration, vast experience in Sr Management roles and spirited Political & Environmental Activist, I was convinced that party will see greater merits in my application.

I was indeed very impressed when the observers came to meet all the aspirants individually, but that did not last long, the sham of selection stood thoroughly exposed. As observers started calling the names of the women aspirants, the men proudly walked and took the seat, left me wondering where the women were. So women were just the proxy for the real candidates ‘the men’.

This story is neither strange nor shocking, because this is how genuine women leaders are kept out of political process. You keep talking and giving big speeches about women empowerment and bringing women into the main stream politics, but reality is not a single woman is given ticket on her own credentials.

The selection process violated every single selection criteria, the women who were given tickets are neither party workers nor active members of the party. So stop this farce called ‘selection process’ and directly ask the male leaders to nominate their female relative and give them tickets and get over it.

What can be more appalling, even with 50% reservation INC has not given tickets to independent women candidates/aspirants. INC leaders choose the female relatives of male leaders to fill the 50% seats, who will act as proxy for the male leaders and keeping civic administration within the family.

I agree that it’s a common practise across parties, and if you want to follow the same practise then INC and you should not speak about ‘Women Empowerment’ anymore. And, if you really want to bring in change then promote women leaders recognize them for ‘who they are’ and not for ‘who they are related to’.

By giving tickets to incompetent, unqualified proxies who are not even party members you are not only insulting women members of the party who dared to venture into the male bastion but also making a mockery of the Democratic process and disrespecting the voters who have little choice but to vote for a man behind a woman.  

More than being disgruntle I am disgusted with the approach to ‘fill’ the 50% seats reserved for women with men. People like me relate to INC Ideology, but with repeated grave mistakes and unwillingness to make course correction, connect to Ideology will fade away sooner or later.

- Kavitha Reddy

Just a party worker who dared to speak the Truth