After govt job quota, women get 33% seats in JD(U) state committee

The Janata Dal (United) Thursday announced its 211-member state committee in which 33 per cent of the posts were occupied by women — the first time a political party has provided one-third representation to women in its organisation.

The party’s decision to give 33 per cent of the posts to women in its organisation comes close on the heels of the state government’s announcement to allot 33 per cent seats to women in medical and engineering colleges. The state government has already given a 33 per cent quota to women in government jobs, 35 per cent in police jobs and 50 per cent for primary teachers’ positions at panchayat levels.

The selection of the new team has a clear stamp of JD(U) national president RCP Singh and the party’s parliamentary board chairman and former Union minister Upendra Kushwaha. The team of JD(U) state president Umesh Kushwaha is dominated by OBC leaders.

There are 69 women office-bearers in the state unit announced on Thursday: one of the seven state spokespersons, eight of the 29 state vice-presidents, 16 of the 60 state general secretaries, and 44 of the 114 state secretaries. The highest representation to women is in the state secretary positions.

The eight vice-presidents are Anjali Sinha, Rekha Gupta, Pramila Kumari, Prema Choudhary, Bima Bharti, Veena Bharti, Manju Gita and Kumkum Rai. Among state general secretaries are Aruna Singh, Manju Devi, Raziya Khatoon, Malini Mishra, Bharti Mehta, Malti Singh, Sadhna Sada, Shagufta Azeem, Kiran Ranjan, Manju Devi and Sangeeta Yadav.