New Delhi, Mar 10 (PTI) A day ahead of her appearance before the Enforcement Directorate in the Delhi liquor scam, BRS leader K Kavitha on Friday commenced a six-hour hunger strike seeking early passage of the long-pending Women's Reservation Bill.        CPI-M leader Sitaram Yechury inaugurated the strike programme at Jantar Mantar here.

Among leaders present at the strike were Samajwadi Party leader Seema Shukla, Telangana Education Minister Savita Indra Reddy as well as state Women and Child Welfare Minister Sathyavathi Rathore.    Sanjay Singh and Chitra Sarwara (AAP), Naresh Gujral (Akali Dal), Anjum Javed Mirza (PDP), Shami Firdous (NC), Sushmita Dev (TMC), KC Tyagi (JDU), Seema Malik (NCP), Narayana K (CPI), Shyam Rajak (RLD), Priyanka Chaturvedi (Shiva Sena) and ex-Congress leader Kapil Sibal have confirmed their participation.       "Our party will extend support to Kavitha in this protest till the bill is passed. It is important to bring this bill to give equal opportunity to women in politics," Yechury said in his inaugural address.

Kavitha said, "If India needs to develop, women should play a key role in politics. For which, it is important to bring this bill which is pending for last 27 years."        This is just the beginning and the protest will continue across the country, she added.         The bill, which seeks to reserve 33 per cent seats in Lok Sabha and all state legislative assemblies for women, was initially introduced in Lok Sabha on September 12, 1996 by the United Front government.