Why Raipur deserves a woman City Congress chief now
✋🏻 Congress promised 50% representation for women in all posts
✋🏻 Raipur never had a woman city unit head in 25 years
✋🏻 Women leaders say capital must reflect party’s own policy
By : Akshay Lahre
Raipur : The capital city, considered the political nerve centre of Chhattisgarh, has once again become the ground for organisational introspection within the Congress. Despite repeated assurances and constitutional amendments favouring gender representation, Raipur has not seen a single woman lead its City Congress unit since the state’s formation. At the February 2023 Congress plenary held in Raipur itself, the party had amended its constitution to reserve 50 per cent positions for women and for those below 50 years of age across all levels. The resolution was strongly backed by Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s campaign message- “Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon.” Yet, even after such policy declarations, the party’s capital unit continues under male leadership, highlighting a mismatch between principle and practice. Women leaders within the city unit point out that their contribution has been consistent and visible – from booth mobilisation to block-level campaigns. Many among them have contested local body polls, managed public contact programmes, and led the party’s social outreach in wards. “Our women workers have been active in every election and agitation, but when it comes to the city president’s post, we are overlooked,” said a senior woman functionary of the Raipur Congress. Political observers agree that the capital’s political direction often shapes the mood of the entire state. A woman president in Raipur, they say, would send a progressive and organisationally empowering message. It would also align with the Congress’s own declared principle of equal participation. “It is not a symbolic demand,” remarked a local councillor. “It is about giving recognition to women who have worked for decades at the grassroots level.” Party workers also highlight that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has made visible political gains through targeted women-centric policies like Mahatari Vandan Yojana. Several Congress members believe that such moves have shifted sentiment among women voters, and that a leadership change within the Congress could help rebuild trust. The demand for a woman City Congress president is also finding resonance among elected representatives. A number of women corporators and block leaders have informally conveyed that the next city chief should be an active, ground-connected woman with strong organisational record. They argue that such a step would reinvigorate the women’s wing, improve coordination between booth and city committees, and strengthen public outreach ahead of civic and assembly elections.
As the Congress prepares for upcoming organisational restructuring, the focus within its Raipur unit is clear. The call for appointing a woman as city president has become a rallying point for women workers who see it as long overdue justice – not merely a demand, but a rightful extension of the party’s own declared vision of equality.
