Ongole: The Navyandhra Rachayitrula Sangham (NARASAM) and Ongole Citizens’ Association have jointly appealed to the state government to name two or three districts after prominent women, highlighting the absence of female representation in the state’s district nomenclature.

NARASAM leader Tella Aruna said that while several districts were named after prominent male personalities during the YSRCP regime, it failed to honour the female personalities despite women comprising nearly 50 percent of the state’s 5.40 crore population.

She said that approximately 2.46 crore women contribute significantly to Andhra Pradesh’s development across education, employment, and politics. She emphasised women’s crucial role in elections and democratic processes, making their exclusion from district names particularly disappointing.

Ongole Citizens’ Forum president Kolla Madhu explained that they organised round-table conferences in Ongole and Vijayawada six years ago, involving political parties, women’s organisations, student unions, artistes, and rationalist groups. He said that all participants unanimously supported naming districts after women.

The leaders of the organisations praised Chief Minister Naidu as a supporter of women’s rights, citing his recent decision to name the midday meal scheme after Dokka Seethamma. They recalled former Chief Minister NT Rama Rao’s pioneering 33 percent reservation for women and equal property rights. They urged the Cabinet sub-committee on district reorganisation to consider this proposal, seeking unanimous public support for honouring women through district nomenclature.