Annamalai Calls for 50% Women in State Cabinet, Honours 10 Women with Kamarajar Awards

Former BJP leader K. Annamalai, who now heads the 'We The Leaders' (WTL) movement, on Friday called for women to make up half of the State Cabinet, arguing that representation in decision-making bodies must move beyond tokenism.

He was speaking at an event at Narada Gana Sabha in Chennai, where he presented the Kamarajar Awards to 10 women from across Tamil Nadu.

Acknowledging that the government led by the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) has given Cabinet berths to more women than previous administrations, Mr. Annamalai said he aspired to form a Cabinet with 50 per cent women when his movement came to power. "There should be at least 17-18 women in the State Cabinet," he said.

The awardees were Sister Rosily of Kanniyakumari district, founder-trustee of the Alert NGO; Kala Balasundaram of Coimbatore district; mountaineer Muthamilselvi Narayanan of Virudhunagar district; Jeevitha of Cuddalore district, an information technology professional turned organic farmer; Villupattu artist M. Madhavi of Tenkasi district; A. Fathima of Tirunelveli district, founder of the Popular's Sevak Trust; P. Harris Karishma of Villupuram district, a student who climbs palmyra trees; Carnatic classical violinist C.S. Chinmayi of Chennai; yoga instructor R. Punitha Valli of Chennai; and aerospace engineering student Dhaanvi Karthikeyan of Chennai.

P. Krishnaveni, former president of the Thalaiyuthu panchayat in Tirunelveli district, was also chosen for the award. A Dalit woman leader who was attacked by a gang, she could not attend in person, and a recorded video message from her was played at the event.

In his address, Mr. Annamalai said there was initially only one woman in the Cabinet and that the number had gradually increased. He said an all-women team was set to be trained at his Kalam Centre on October 15, and underlined the importance of preparing women for a career in politics.

The demand touches on a wider debate about women's representation in Indian public life. The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments of 1992 reserved one-third of seats in panchayats and municipalities for women, and several States have since raised that share to 50 per cent in local bodies. In 2023, Parliament passed the 106th Constitutional Amendment, providing for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, the State Legislative Assemblies and the Delhi Assembly. Its implementation is linked to the census and delimitation exercises.

Such reservations, however, apply to elected legislatures and local bodies, not to the Council of Ministers. The size and composition of a State Cabinet is decided by the Chief Minister, and no law currently requires a fixed proportion of women Ministers. Women's share in State Cabinets across the country has generally remained below the one-third mark, though individual States have varied over time.

The Kamarajar Awards are named after K. Kamaraj, who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu between 1954 and 1963 and is remembered for expanding school education and introducing the mid-day meal scheme. The WTL said it chose recipients from different districts and walks of life to recognise achievement in social work, sport, agriculture, the arts, education and public service.