LUDHIANA, March 7 -- Punjab chief minister Bhagwant Singh Mann on Saturday urged young women to actively enter politics and take part in decision-making, saying a stronger democracy and a progressive Punjab can only be achieved when women play a central role in governance.

Addressing a state-level function to mark International Women's Day at Punjab Agricultural University in Ludhiana, Mann called on girls to step forward as equal partners in shaping the state's future. He said Punjab cannot become a front-runner in the country without women's full participation in governance, the economy and politics.

The chief minister said that while women have excelled in many sectors, politics has traditionally remained male-dominated and it is tim...