New Delhi, Jun 29 (PTI): Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi today vowed to ensure 50 per cent representation for women in All India Congress Committee and other party wings as he held his first formal interaction with the newly appointed party office-bearers, the team set up by him for the 2014 Lok Sabha elections.

“Gandhi talked about how to ensure 50 per cent representation for women in AICC...It’s not about reservation. It’s about their representation.

“When he observed that their (women) presence is not in the proportion it should be, he said the presence of women is less but it will definitely be 50 per cent in the coming two-three years,” party spokesperson Bhakta Charan Das told reporters after the meeting.

Ambika Sonia is the only women among the 12 AICC general secretaries, while out of the 44 secretaries only five are women.

Gandhi also made it categorically clear to the office-bearers, mainly general secretaries and secretaries, that those who have been given responsibility will also be held accountable.

As the reshuffled AICC now wears a younger look with 52 being the average age of office-bearers, he also chose the occasion to remind the party leaders that youths should move forward by respecting seniors and taking the help of their experience.

The statement is seen as a move by Gandhi to allay misgivings, if any, among the old guards in the party and some sort of assurance that senior leaders won’t be overlooked.