Telangana leading with more than 50 per cent women in local bodies

HYDERABAD: As the Bill to bring in 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and all state Legislative Assemblies was introduced in the Parliament on Tuesday, states like Telangana have already been far ahead by giving maximum representation to women in its urban and rural local bodies.

While, it was BRS MLC Kavitha who had driven the voice of women parliamentarians to increase reservation, her party had been successfully giving representation for over 50 per cent women in municipalities, municipal corporations and zilla parishads which is much higher than the constitutional mandate of 33 per cent.

Here's a closer look at the statistics showcasing Telangana's commitment to empowering women:

- Telangana proudly boasts 55.47% female chairpersons in municipalities, with a substantial 84.5% of them affiliated with the BRS party.

- In terms of mayors and deputy mayors, among the 13 corporations in the State, all 8 women who hold the position of mayor are members of the BRS party. Additionally, the role of deputy mayor is filled by 5 women, all affiliated with the BRS party.

- When examining the representation of women in chairperson and vice chairperson positions in municipalities, it's evident that 72 municipalities have women chairpersons, with an impressive 66 of them representing the BRS. Moreover, 35 municipalities have women vice chairpersons, and 31 of them belong to the party.

- Zooming in on zilla parishads, an essential tier of local governance, it's noteworthy that out of the 32 zilla parishads in Telangana, an impressive 18 are effectively led by women from the BRS party. This marks a significant achievement with 57 per cent of zilla parishads being helmed by women.

Telangana's extraordinary success in empowering women and providing them with a substantial political platform sets a precedent for the entire nation, reinforcing the State's commitment to gender equality and inclusive governance.