DMK fields few women candidates

In a refreshing change, the DMK in Tamil Nadu has fielded many young candidates. But then again most of the candidates are men even though the party has promised to fight for 33% reservation for women.

DMK is contesting 21 seats in Tamil Nadu and more than half the candidates it is fielding are less than forty years.

"A winning team, our leader Kalaignar has taken great efforts to put up the best candidates," said Dayanidhi Maran, DMK Candidate, Central Chennai.

In its manifesto, the DMK promises to fight for 33 percent reservation for women in the Parliament. But the party has fielded just two women, that's a meager ten percent.

"It would have been nice to have more women, but of course we didn't have enough people," defended M K Kanimozhi, Rajya Sabha MP, DMK.

"But we have two more women in Rajya Sabha already, that should take care of the numbers," explained M K Stalin, Treasurer, DMK.

Karunanidhi's elder son M K Azhagiri is fighting elections for the first time, contesting from his hometown Madurai and former union Minister Dayanidhi Maran gets to fight from the same turf of central Chennai. Due to delimitation, Union Ministers T R Balu and A Raja have changed their constituencies. The party has denied tickets to three other central ministers.

It's certainly a head start for the DMK while Jayalalithaa is yet to finish her seat sharing process. But on the ground the party doesn't seem to reflect the women's cause it champions so vociferously in the Parliament.