Only 6 women find a place out of 66 members across five committees of Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee

1. The 22-member Political Affairs Committee, one of the most crucial decision-making bodies within the party, includes only two women
2. The party's decision to allow a few leaders to serve on multiple committees while excluding several seniors has added fuel to the fire
3. The Advisory Committee, formed with 15 members, includes only one woman

The All India Congress Committee’s (AICC) recent announcement of five key committees under the Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) has triggered widespread discontent within party circles. Senior leaders and women functionaries are expressing serious dissatisfaction over inadequate representation and lack of transparency in the formation of these panels. Despite the presence of prominent women leaders like Sonia Gandhi and Telangana in-charge Meenakshi Natarajan, women have been given a negligible role, with only 6 out of 66 members across all five committees being women.

This is being seen as a clear contradiction to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s consistent demand for 33% reservation for women in legislative bodies, including his push for immediate implementation of the Women’s Reservation Bill in Parliament. Party women activists are now questioning why the same principle is not being applied within the Congress party's internal structure.

Want votes, but not power

Women leaders within the party are openly stating that the Congress seeks their votes and hard work during elections but fails to acknowledge them when it comes to power-sharing. Despite having Meenakshi Natarajan as the in-charge for state affairs, there is criticism that female leaders continue to be overlooked systematically.

Political Affairs Committee: Key women, senior leaders ignored

The 22-member Political Affairs Committee, one of the most crucial decision-making bodies within the party, includes only two women — Minister Seethakka and Rajya Sabha MP Renuka Chowdhury. The remaining 20 members include key figures such as Meenakshi Natarajan, Chief Minister Revanth Reddy, Deputy CM Bhatti Vikramarka, TPCC President Anumula Revanth Reddy, Ministers Damodar Rajanarasimha, Sridhar Babu, Ponnam Prabhakar, Ponguleti Srinivas Reddy, MLAs Shabbir Ali, Azharuddin, Adi Srinivas, Beerla Ilaiya, Sudarshan Reddy, Srihari Mudiraj, Premsagar Rao, Jetty Kusuma Kumar, and Eeravatri Anil.

However, exclusion of other prominent leaders like Ministers Konda Surekha, Komatireddy Venkat Reddy, Tummala Nageswara Rao, and Jupally Krishna Rao has sparked criticism. The party's decision to allow a few leaders to serve on multiple committees while excluding several seniors has added fuel to the fire.

PAC formation leaves out veteran leaders

The newly announced Public Accounts Committee (PAC) has also become a point of contention. Earlier, it was customary to include former PCC presidents and former CLP leaders, but this time, veterans like V. Hanumantha Rao and Jana Reddy were excluded, drawing strong disapproval from party insiders. Critics say this reflects a growing trend of favoring juniors over experienced seniors, weakening party morale.

Advisory Committee: Only one woman included

The Advisory Committee, formed with 15 members, includes only one woman—former minister Geetha Reddy, who has been relatively inactive in recent political developments. Other members include Meenakshi Natarajan, CM Revanth Reddy, TPCC chief Mahesh Kumar Goud, former PCC presidents V. Hanumantha Rao and Jana Reddy, along with senior leaders Keshava Rao, Madhu Yashki Goud, Chinna Reddy, Anjan Kumar Yadav, Jaffer Javed, Jeevan Reddy, Siricilla Rajaiah, and Ramulu Naik.

Several women leaders expressed disappointment over the lack of active women representatives in the committee and said that more deserving women could have been accommodated alongside Geetha Reddy.

Constitution Protection Committee: Token representation again

The Constitution Protection Committee (Samvidhan Bachao) comprises 16 members but only includes two women — Atram Suguna and Juluri Dhanalakshmi, both of whom had contested the recent elections and lost. 

Other members include P. Vinay Kumar, MLC Addanki Dayakar, MLAs Shankaraiah and Balu Naik, former MLC Arikela Narsa Reddy, and leaders Rachamalla Siddeshwar, K. Santosh, Puli Anil Kumar, Majid Khan, G. Ramulu, Arjun Rao, Shaari, K. Vallabha Reddy, and V. Srikant Reddy.

The Delimitation Committee, headed by AICC Secretary Challa Vamshi Chand Reddy, includes 7 members, of whom only Hyderabad Mayor Gadwal Vijayalakshmi is a woman. Other members include Government Whip Adi Srinivas, MLAs Kavvampalli Satyanarayana, Shravan Kumar Reddy, Pawan Malladi, and D. Venkata Ramana.

Disciplinary Committee: No women at all

One of the most controversial aspects is the total exclusion of women from the PCC Disciplinary Committee. This 6-member panel includes senior leaders such as MP Mallu Ravi (Chairman), Shyam Mohan (Vice-Chairman), Niranjan Reddy, Kumar Rao, Jaffer Javed, and GV Ramakrishna. This has raised serious concerns, with women leaders asking, “Are there no eligible women in the party for even one seat on this committee?”

Recently, Congress Women’s Wing President Sunitha Rao staged a protest at Gandhi Bhavan, demanding that women who have worked hard for the party be given appropriate positions. There is a growing demand within the party to ensure fair representation for those who have dedicated themselves to strengthening the Congress at various levels.