BJP Mahila Morcha, or simply Mahila Morcha (IPA: Mahilā Mōrcā, ), is the women's wing of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of India. Vanathi Srinivasan, former Tamil Nadu BJP Unit Vice president and current Member of the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly from Coimbatore South state assembly constituency is the national president of the wing.
List of presidents
Smriti Irani (24 June 2010 – 24 April 2013) Saroj Pandey (24 April 2013 – 21 August 2014) Vijaya Rahatkar (21 August 2014 - 28 October 2020) Vanathi Srinivasan (28 October 2020 - present)
Campaigns
In September 2019 the Mahila Morcha used the Durga Puja festival in a campaign to spread the BJP party's message to women particularly on Article 370 and the National Register of Citizens (NRC).
Controversies
In August 2022, Seema Patra, member of the national working committee of the BJP's women's wing, allegedly tortured a domestic worker named Sunita. Several videos that were circulated online showed Sunita narrating her stories. Injuries on her body were visible, she was unable to sit and her teeth was smashed. She alleged that her teeth were broken with an iron rod and that she was forced to lick urine, and clean the floor with her tongue. When she asked permission to go back to home, she was beaten up and locked. Seema kept the worker captive for around 10 years. When the video went viral, BJP suspended Seema Patra from the party, with Jharkhand BJP president Deepak Prakash ordering action against her. The next day, Jharkhand Police arrested due to the allegations.