VD Satheesan announces 50 pc of seats for women and youth in upcoming Assembly elections

Kochi: Kerala leader of the Opposition V D Satheesan has made a major announcement, saying there will be a generational shift in the upcoming Assembly elections. In an interview with The Indian Express, he said that 50 per cent of the seats would be allotted to women and young candidates.

The UDF had emerged ahead of the LDF by 1.138 million votes in the recently concluded local body elections, according to final figures from the State Election Commission.

Satheesan said the Congress has several young and prominent leaders in mainstream politics. By allocating 50 per cent of the seats to women and youth, the party’s list of candidates for the next Assembly elections would reflect a clear generational change. He added that the process would be smooth, as it would not require drastic changes. Unlike the CPI(M), the Congress has a strong second and third line of leadership, he said.

He noted that in the past, despite favourable political circumstances, the Congress had lost several Assembly seats in Kerala due to issues related to candidate selection. There had also been instances where candidates who had contested multiple times and lost exerted pressure to contest again, a situation that ultimately benefited the Left Democratic Front (LDF). Satheesan said the party would not allow such a situation to arise this time.

Satheesan also recalled that the Congress had held a training camp in Udaipur, Rajasthan, four years ago, where a decision was taken to reserve 50 per cent representation for women and youth, both within the party and in legislative bodies. However, the decision had not been implemented so far. He indicated that the Kerala Congress is now preparing to put that resolution into practice.