Mahila Congress plans strategy to manage booths in Uttarakhand civic polls

The women’s wing of the Congress has planned a booth management strategy to ensure that maximum number of party candidates win in the April urban body polls.

Taking lessons from the party’s dismal performance in the last year’s assembly elections, the All India Mahila Congress is now focusing on bringing maximum women voters to polling booths under the “Booth Ki Aur Chalo” drive.

A membership drive will also be carried out in the state, with an eye on the 2019 general election, Mahila Congress general secretary Sunita Sherawat told HT on the sidelines of a party meeting in Haridwar on Saturday.

“During analysis of previous election loss, it has come to light that we failed to bring voters, particularly our traditional women voters to polling booths.

“So, we have now assigned duty to all district presidents to form booth committees in which five member women workers team will be formed,” she said.

“These booth teams will be vital in contacting voters, campaigning and also convincing voters to cast votes,” said Sherawat, who is also in-charge of the Uttarakhand unit of Mahila Congress.

All district Mahila Congress presidents have been asked to monitor booth teams formation and their working, she said.

“During last month meeting with party national president Rahul Gandhi, we had been specifically asked to strengthen and rejuvenate women wing cadres as parliamentary elections are due within 15 months.

“Apart from inducting new members our focus is also on exposing the anti-women policies of the BJP government. The BJP has failed to bring Women Reservation Bill despite promising it during 2014 election campaign, crime against women is on rise even in Himachal and Uttarakhand,” said Sherawat.

State women wing president Sarita Arya said she will be extensively visiting all six districts of Kumaon and seven districts of Garhwal divisions to ensure proper implementation of booth management strategy.

While BJP women leaders said the Congress has lost its base in the hill state, so it will even find it quite difficult in getting even five women activists for each polling booth in whole state.

“The Congress was swept away in the 2014 general election and 2017 Assembly election in Uttarakhand by BJP. Upcoming civic polls will too witness the same fate and by next general election Congress will be rooted out fully,” said BJP district secretary Anamika Sharma.