Congress leader Shama Mohamed criticized the party leadership for overlooking women in the selection of party candidates for the upcoming Kerala Assembly elections.
In a post on her Facebook page on Friday, a day after the Congress released its candidate list, she said only nine of the party’s 92 candidates are women.
“I was rejected but not defeated. I request my leader Rahul Gandhi, whom I admire, respect and adore, to help the Congress women in Kerala. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, only one woman got a ticket out of 16 who contested. If a woman happens to be talented, the situation is dire,” she wrote.
Kochi seat
Although Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) general secretary and two-time councilor Deepthy Mary Varghese seemed confident of being fielded from the Kochi constituency, Ernakulam DCC president Mohammad Shiyas made it to the final list. Earlier, she was overlooked for the post of mayor of Kochi. However, Ms Varghese refused to make her displeasure public and even shared a post in support of Mr Shiyas on Friday.
Protests by Congress women leaders who were denied tickets were muted this time compared to the last Assembly elections. In 2021, the president of the party’s women’s wing, Lathika Subhash resigned from the post, hurt over being denied the Ettumanur seat, and shaved her head in protest sitting outside the Congress office.
Voices of protest from women leaders are also being witnessed in the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). On Friday, party spokesperson TP Sindhumol sent a complaint to the national leadership that she was denied candidature for the Ettumanur seat, which was given to the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) – 2020.
Published – 20 March 2026 20:48 IST
