NEW DELHI, June 24: At least 35 women organisations from all over the country today demanded that the post of the vice-president should go to a woman this time.

In a resolution passed at a public meeting organised under the aegis of the National Citizen's Forum here, representatives of various women's bodies appealed to major political parties of the country to put up a woman as a consensus candidate for the post.

``Allowing women to be part of the political decision-making process will go a long in empowering them,'' chairman of the forum, Shanti Bhushan, told the meeting.

Terming the election of a woman to the post of the vice-president of the country, a ``historical necessity'', the resolution called upon political leaders to initiate the process of electing a woman of national stature, experience and ability to the post.

Criticising political parties for reneging on their promise to reserve 33 per cent of seats in Parliament and all State legislatures for women, former MP and president of the Indian Council of Child Welfare, Hamida Habibullah, said election of a woman as Vice-President would send the right signals to women voters of the country.

Speakers cutting across party lines, said if the proposed Bill for reservation of women is defeated in Parliament it would be a ``national shame''. They called for a woman candidate for the post to restore the credibility of political parties. The meeting also decided to send a delegation of women to leaders of various parties to seek their support for the proposal.

Copyright © 1997 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.