2022 UP polls: Priyanka Gandhi releases Congress manifesto for women, promises 40% quota in govt jobs

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Lucknow, Dec 08: The Congress leader and All India Congress Committee General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, released party's manifesto for women for the 2022 UP assembly polls in Lucknow. The women-centric manifesto by the UP Congress will be the first of its kind.

Releasing a special manifesto for women at the party office in Lucknow, Priyanka, in-charge of her party's UP affairs, said that the manifesto is a roadmap for inclusive and all-round growth of the state.

She said that the election document pays special attention to women and seeks to empower them. She reiterated that the grand old party will give 40 per cent ticket to women.

"We prepared 'women manifesto' where we want to say we actually want to empower them. We will have to create environment where shackles can be broken with their opinion, where they get full participation in politics and participation in society that ends their exploitation," she said.

Priyanka said that the Congress party's government will construct hostels in 25 cities and open evening schools for girls. She added that scootys will be given to graduate girls and smartphones to Class 12th pass girls. The Congress government will give preference to women in MNERGA, the Congress leader said.

Priyanka Gandhi, who is also the Congress' Uttar Pradesh in-charge, had last month announced that her party will give 40 per cent tickets to women in the polls slated for early next year, saying the decision is aimed at making women, who constitute roughly half the vote bank, a "full-fledged partner in power".

"My dear sisters of Uttar Pradesh, your each day is full of struggles. Understanding this, the Congress party has prepared a separate manifesto for women," Vadra said in a tweet in Hindi.

"On the formation of the Congress party's government, three LPG cylinders will be given for free to women annually and women will be able to travel for free in state government buses," she said.

The assurances also included an honorarium of Rs 10,000 per month to ASHA and Anganwadi workers, appointment of women to 40 per cent posts according to the provisions of reservation, giving pension of Rs 1,000 to old widows, and opening of 75 skill schools across the state that will be named after the brave women (veerangnaao) of Uttar Pradesh.

The Congress is facing an uphill task of consolidating its support base in Uttar Pradesh and Priyanka Gandhi is going all out to woo women in her election campaigns.

The Congress general secretary had last month said all class 12 pass girls will be given a smartphone while all graduate girls will get an electric scooter if her party forms a government in the state.