Himachal Pradesh Congress Committee (HPCC) President Vinay Kumar on Friday appointed presidents of 71 Block Congress Committees, but none of the positions have been given to women.While representation has been ensured for members from the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes, women have been completely left out of these key organisational posts.The decision comes at a time when Parliament is discussing a 33 percent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies.A senior party leader defended the appointments, calling the role highly demanding and time-intensive.“It’s a very demanding job, almost 24×7. The block president has to be in the field day and night. It’s tough for a woman to be available for the party work at odd hours regularly,” the leader said.He also claimed that women have historically not been assigned this position. “Most women wouldn’t want to take on this responsibility, and in many cases, their families would also be uncomfortable,” he added.However, a woman leader in the party argued that the list should not be viewed in isolation, noting that women have been included in the state executive body and will also be accommodated in district and block-level committees.“Besides, two women have been appointed district presidents as well,” she said. The district and block committees will be announced shortly.The block presidents are appointed on the basis of the recommendations given by the MLAs and the district president.“We had to forward three names to the organisation for the post, but in my constituency, only men showed interest,” said Anuradha Rana, Congress MLA from Lahaul and Spiti.