The Bengal BJP is finding it difficult to identify 12 to 14 female candidates for the 42 parliamentary seats of the state, aligning with the central BJP's initiative to have around one-third of women candidates in most states for the upcoming Lok Sabha polls.

This decision to nominate more women candidates nationwide follows the passage of the 'Women Reservation Bill' by the BJP government in both houses during the special parliamentary session. Though the bill, which has been signed by the President, can only be implemented after the completion of the census and delimitation, the BJP wants to increase women's representation in the next Lok Sabha polls.

“We need to field women candidates in at least one-third of the seats in the state but the problem is there is a dearth of women candidates acceptable to all. The instruction was given to us by (Union home minister) Amit Shah and (national party president) J.P. Nadda during their recent visit to Calcutta but there are a handful of women leaders in the party who have statewide acceptance,” a senior Bengal BJP leader said on the condition of anonymity.

The senior leader was referring to the party's women leaders Rupa Ganguly, Locket Chatterjee and Agnimitra Pal who have a wider acceptance in Bengal. “They have the acceptance because they have an identity beyond politics,” the leader said before adding that even leaders like Debashree Chaudhury, an MP from Raiganj, who has been with the party for a long time, has very little acceptance beyond North Dinajpur.

According to political observers, the problem may be linked with the patriarchal structure in the saffron camp where very few women are given crucial posts.

“Consider the most recent Lok Sabha election, where out of the 429 candidates fielded by the BJP, only 53 were women. Among the 303 candidates who were successfully elected, merely 41 were women,” a political observer said.

“Furthermore, women have limited representation in the party's decision-making bodies. There are only two women state presidents in the party. In 2021, Adhikarimayum Sharda Devi became the first female state president of the BJP in Manipur. More recently, Daggubati Purandeswari was appointed in Andhra Pradesh, making her the second female state president,” he added.

The scenario in Bengal is even more disheartening. In 2019, when Trinamul Congress fielded 17 women candidates, constituting almost 41 per cent of the total count, the BJP managed to nominate only five.

Consequently, there were nine women legislators from Trinamul in Parliament compared to the two from Bengal BJP — Locket Chatterjee from Hooghly and Debashree Chowdhury from North Dinajpur.

Party insiders said there were several reasons behind the dearth of women BJP candidates in Bengal. A senior leader of the party said that though the BJP has a Mohila Morcha (women's wing), headed once by Rupa Ganguly and later Locket Chatterjee, its activities have been limited.

“The Mohila Morcha has consistently played a subordinate role within the party, often being entangled in internal politics, and lacking a distinct identity. Consequently, there has been minimal opportunity for strong leaders to emerge from this wing, resulting in a notable void in women's leadership within the party.,” the leader added.

Party insiders suggested that to address the dearth of prominent women figures within the party, the central leadership might rope in some popular names from sports and cinema.

“The BJP central leadership is exploring the possibility of bringing renowned sports figures from Bengal (to the party) and is also reaching out to Bollywood female stars with strong connections to Bengal,” a leader said.