Sonia

New Delhi, Nov. 21: The Congress’s list of candidates for the 87 Gujarat seats that go to polls on December 11 was revised in the early hours of today to include seven women and three Muslims.

The original list had six women and two Muslims, but Sonia Gandhi wanted better representation for both. The Congress president had recently admitted that the UPA government’s biggest failure was its inability to pass the women’s reservation bill. Sonia also did not want the Congress to go the BJP way and register a “token” presence of Muslims to give itself a fig leaf of “secularism”.

After seven meetings of the central election committee, the screening committee and a “mini” screening committee — often attended by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Sonia — the Congress cleared the names for all the seats in Saurashtra, Kutch and south Gujarat, which go to polls in the first phase.

The BJP has yet to name 10 candidates for the first phase.

Congress sources said the list for the second phase was likely to have more women and Muslims. The Congress has earmarked 20 constituencies out of the total 182 where the Muslim population is “sizeable” — between 20 and 25 per cent.

But the state unit felt it would be “politically unwise” to put up so many minority candidates as it could divide voters on Hindu-Muslim lines and help the BJP.

After a “careful” scrutiny, the number was brought down to nine. Sources said the other hitch was not too many Muslims were willing to fight against the BJP, citing “security” as the reason.

“The only objective of Muslims in these elections is to ensure that they get a government which protects their lives and limbs and allows them to breathe freely. Things like political empowerment are not on their radar,” a Congress functionary said.

The party was less defensive on seats for women. The leaders noted that Narendra Modi gave tickets to 13 women in the first phase.

In its campaign, the party plans to highlight how Modi’s decision to “liberalise” Gujarat’s prohibition policy and allow alcohol to be traded in special economic zones will “work against” women.

“Women are the biggest victims of alcoholism and, so far, our women escaped the plight of their mothers and sisters in other parts of the country,” Gujarat Congress president Bharatsinh Solanki said.

The Congress has sorted out seat-sharing arrangements with the NCP, which will get nine seats, and the CPM, Lok Janshakti Party and the RJD, which will get one each.