Women's party plans to field 283 candidates

Dr Swetha Shetty started the second unit of her party in Mumbai on Monday

A 36-year-old doctor from Hyderabad, Swetha Shetty, has taken it upon herself to ensure that women across the country gather political strength to demand equal representation in Parliament, so they get a collective voice to raise issues and resolve them. Shetty launched the National Women's Party (NWP) last year. It plans to field candidates in 283 seats across the country in the Lok Sabha elections.

Aiming for equal importance
The party's first state unit came up in Karnataka and the second started in Mumbai on Monday. Shetty will travel to Chennai soon to open another unit. "The idea behind forming the party is to remove gender disparity in politics and thus create equal importance for females in the patriarchal society," she told the media at the Mumbai Press Club.

The battle for 50 per cent reservation in Parliament is a more than two-decades-old fight that women have not been able to win because of opposition from the male-dominated political system. Though the country's Panchayat Raj system allows women 50 per cent seats to contest, the right in Parliament is still a mirage.

Shetty said the small representation in Parliament denies women-friendly policies. "It narrows the possibility of empowering women. With our party's initiative, we aim to create an environment for the development of women to enable them to realise their full potential, and help them achieve goals of employment," she said.

'Contesting polls is important'
NWP understands the need of contesting elections if it were to establish its presence in the political system. So it will field candidates in 283 seats across the country. "We may not win, but contesting polls is important. The party will start a women safety mobile app called Mahila Rakshak and hold a Youth Parliament for women in the next few days," Shetty said. The office bearers of the Maharashtra unit will be announced soon.

Shetty's businessman husband, Kishor, supports her cause. He travels with her and manages backroom activities. "I think it's time men took a backseat and allowed women to lead from the front. I encourage my wife, a brilliant doctor, and the daughter of lower middle class government employees, to realise her dream. I will be there for her forever," Kishor told mid-day on the sidelines of the party's launch.

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