Alongside abuse charges, Rahul row spotlights acute gender gap in Cong

Despite reservation in local body polls, it has failed to thrust women into leadership posts

- ANNA JOSE @Kochi

THE storm over sexual harassment allegations against Congress leader Rahul Mamkootathil has also served to cast a harsh light on the limited space that women occupy in the party in Kerala. Senior women leaders demanding his resignation as Palakkad MLA have been pilloried by party workers, further exposing the fragility of the female voice within the state unit.

Despite decades of talk of empowerment and reservation in local body elections, the party has failed to thrust women into leadership positions. Representation remains minimal in the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), the district committees and even the assembly. The party, which fielded only one woman candidate — Ramya Haridas in Alathur — in the 2024 Lok Sabha election, had to rely on Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's Wayanad by-election victory to fend off criticism.