Kalaburagi (Karnataka), March 9 : Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has called upon women to make preparations to contest the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections in view of the Women's Reservation Bill taking effect.

"The Women's Reservation Bill is likely to take effect from 2028. Prepare to contest the elections. No one can stop you in a democratic set up," he said on Saturday while participating in an International Women's Day event.

"Women are in power from panchayat to Parliament. There is already 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats. But many men run the show through women members of the family. It will all stop in the future as women will be capable of running the show themselves," he added.

"The Congress government under the leadership of Sonia Gandhi and former PM late Manmohan Singh was planning to bring in Women's Reservation Bill but could not due to certain reasons. The Bill is passed now and it will take effect for the upcoming Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. We are not sure who all will have to lose the seats because of this new reservation," Shivakumar said.

"Women play an important role in our family and society. There are umpteen examples in history which highlights the importance of women in our society. Basavanna rightly called them 'punya stree'," he added.

"Women are making waves in all fields. They have the ability to rule the country in the future. Indira Gandhi has already set a precedent. Women's Reservation Bill will change a lot of things in the days to come," Shivakumar said.

"Women's Day events must be fully organised and managed by women. Male officials should not be associated with such events in the future. I have come to this region to take the blessings of women of Kalyana Karnataka though there was a major event in Bengaluru," he added.

"Four of five guarantees are directly empowering women. Our government is committed to empowering women economically," the Deputy CM said.

Later, speaking on Saturday at the launch event of the Kalyana Patha project in Jewargi, which aims to develop nearly 1,150 km of roads across 38 rural Assembly constituencies in Kalyana Karnataka, Shivakumar added, "The people of Kalyana Karnataka have strengthened us in both the Assembly and Lok Sabha elections. We will repay this debt by prioritising the development of this region."

"Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Sardar Patel, and many others brought independence to our country. However, it was Mallikarjun Kharge who brought economic independence to the people of Kalyana Karnataka. Both Kharge and Dharam Singh convinced Sonia Gandhi and Manmohan Singh to implement Article 371(J) for the development of this region. At that time, when L.K. Advani said that granting special status to this region was impossible, Kharge made it a reality, creating history," he said.

"The Congress party, which has taken an oath for the development of Kalyana Karnataka, allocates an additional Rs 5,000 crore every year in the state Budget for the growth of this region. In the Budget presented on Friday, we have continued this additional allocation. As a result, each constituency in this region is receiving nearly Rs 120 crore for development," he added.

"Today, former PM late Manmohan Singh is not with us, but during his tenure as Prime Minister, Article 371(J) was implemented to grant special status to this region. We cannot forget the economic and social strength he provided to this country."

"When Sonia Gandhi had the opportunity to become Prime Minister, she declined, stating that the country needed an economic expert and that Manmohan Singh should lead the nation. As a result, policies such as the Right to Education and the Food Security Act were implemented. Therefore, we must always remember his contributions," Shivakumar said.

/IANS