New Delhi, March 20 (NationPress) The Congress Party found itself in a challenging predicament on Friday, as its national spokesperson, Shama Mohamed, expressed dissatisfaction regarding the inadequate representation of women among the candidates nominated for the upcoming Keralam Assembly elections on April 9.

In addition to subtly criticizing the party’s ticket allocation, Shama called upon the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, to advocate for the deserving female candidates in the state.

“Denied but not defeated. I respectfully urge my leader @rahulgandhi ji, whom I deeply admire and respect, to assist the Congress women of Kerala. Of the 92 tickets allocated, a mere 9 were awarded to women. In the Lok Sabha, out of 24, only 1 woman was nominated from the 16 tickets distributed. If a woman is exceptionally talented, the situation becomes even more dire! It’s truly disheartening,” Shama shared on X.

Her comments, which may generate discomfort within the party, emerged shortly after the Congress unveiled its third and final candidate list, covering 37 constituencies in Keralam. The party aims to contest 92 out of the 140 seats in the Kerala Assembly.

Shama, a practicing dentist, is no stranger to controversies. Last year, she ignited a debate by allegedly fat-shaming the then Indian cricket team captain, Rohit Sharma.

In a now-deleted social media post, Shama labeled Rohit as “fat for a captain,” referring to him as “unimpressive.” She was compelled to remove the post following public outrage and a reprimand from her party.

The BJP criticized her for targeting Rohit, asserting that those who had lost 90 elections under Rahul Gandhi’s leadership were questioning Rohit’s captaincy.

The Congress found itself distancing from her remarks regarding Rohit due to the ensuing embarrassment.

The former TV journalist, who completed her primary education in Kuwait, stirred further controversy when she accused Indian cricket team head coach Gautam Gambhir of religious discrimination following the exclusion of Mumbai’s Sarfaraz Khan from the India 'A' squad for the forthcoming series against South Africa 'A'.

In a post on X, Shama questioned, “Is Sarfaraz Khan not selected because of his surname? Just asking. We’re aware of Gautam Gambhir's stance on this issue,” which incited a significant political and social media backlash.

The uproar followed the BCCI selection committee's announcement of the 15-member India 'A' team for two first-class matches against South Africa 'A'.

Sarfaraz, who had recently demonstrated impressive domestic performance, was omitted from the squad, with chief selector Ajit Agarkar clarifying that his absence was a result of injury concerns.

Sanjay Nirupam, a spokesperson for Shiv Sena, condemned her comments, labeling them “anti-national” and an attempt to propagate communalism.