Why Women Candidates Lag Behind Despite Historic Voter Engagement

With the ongoing discussions surrounding the Women’s Reservation Bill of 2023, the recently concluded Lok Sabha Elections of 2024 have highlighted a glaring statistic: less than 10 percent of the total candidates fielded were women. Across the political spectrum, the presence of female candidates remains dismally low, with most parties falling short of the 30 percent mark in terms of female representation. For the LS election in 2024, 188 parties out of 749 have fielded female candidates, accounting for a mere 9.5% of the 8,360 candidates.

The number of women contesting Lok Sabha elections has increased marginally to 797 (9.53%) from 726 (9.01%) five years ago, but it has not yet reached 10%. In 2019, there were 8,054 candidates, whereas this time there are 8,360.

On the voter front, women account for 48.9% of India's total electorate of 969 million, and political parties have tried to draw in this large base with a variety of benefits. The number of female voters per 1,000 males is seeing a steady rise. Out of the 263 million new voters aged between 18-29 years, 141 million are women.

As the dust is settling on the 2024 Lok Sabha Elections, women's representation has long been a source of concern and debate, with 150 constituencies, accounting for approximately 27.6% of total seats, featuring no female candidates, according to a report released by the Quantum Hub (TQH), a public policy research firm based in New Delhi. Only 14.4% of the candidates nominated by state parties were women. When national parties are taken into account, this figure falls even lower to 11.8%. Independent candidates, who make up 7.1% of the electoral scene, likewise have a disproportionately low representation of women.

Among the major political parties, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) appears as the frontrunner, with 69 female candidates out of 440, accounting for 16% of its total nominees. The Congress party is a close second, with 41 female candidates out of 327, accounting for 13% of their electoral roster. 

India Achieves World Record with 2024 Lok Sabha Elections

On June 3, 2024, a day before counting day, Chief Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar briefed the media on how women voters turned out in unprecedented numbers during the recently concluded parliamentary elections. He noted that the turnout was the strongest in the world.

"Voters wrote history in 2024. Over 31 crore women voted. "Over 64 crore votes have been cast in these elections," CEC Rajiv Kumar stated at the news conference.

Drawing a contrast with the electorate in other major democracies, he stated that the poll body is comparing voters rather than electors and that it is 2.5 times the voters of 27 EU countries. "That has been the extraordinary power of the Indian voters. There are 312 million proud female voters. This is also the highest ever recorded globally. It is bigger than the 2019 elections. Both male and female voters. "We must cherish this," said Rajiv Kumar.

He continued, "We have set a world record with 642 million proud Indian voters. This is a historical moment for all of us. This is simply a small set of statistics. This is 1.5 times of voters in the G7 countries—the US, UK, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, and Canada—all put together."

Phase Vise breakdown 

For the first time in this election, women voters outnumbered men voters, beginning in the fifth phase, with the overall turnout of women voters (67.18%) slightly higher than males (67.02%) in the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

Voter turnout in the sixth round of the Lok Sabha Elections 2024 was 63.37%, with female voters outnumbering male voters for the second time in a row by 3%, according to data issued by the Election Commission on Tuesday. The female voter turnout was 64.95%, while the male voter turnout remained at 61.48%.

In the first four phases, men voted more than women. The difference in male and female voter turnout was 0.15 percentage points in the first phase, 0.57 percentage points in the second phase, 2.48 percentage points in the third phase, and 0.85 percentage points in the fourth phase.

By 2019, women's turnout had risen slightly more than men's, at 67.18 percent. Men's turnout was recorded at 67.01 percent. By 2024, women's turnout was 69.7%, slightly higher than men's 69.5 percent.

A State-wise Breakdown

A closer look reveals substantial geographical disparities in female candidate presence. States like Odisha, West Bengal, and Chhattisgarh have the greatest percentage of female candidates, ranging from 13.2% to 15.4%. In contrast, states such as Rajasthan, Haryana, and Gujarat have low proportions of female candidates, hovering around 7%. Baramati in Maharashtra and Warangal in Telangana emerged as hotspots, with each fielding eight female candidates. Similarly, Karur in Tamil Nadu and Kolkata in West Bengal saw the participation of seven female candidates.

Party-wise Breakdown

According to PRS Legislative Research data, the number of female candidates contesting Lok Sabha elections has steadily climbed from 3% in 1957 to 10% in 2024. Since then, women's involvement in elections has been persistently low; in 2019, only 9% of female candidates ran in general elections.

According to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms, there were 556 female candidates in the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, accounting for 7% of the total of 7,810. This year, 797 women competed, accounting for 9.6% of the total of 8,337 candidates. 

Among the six national parties, the National People's Party (NPP) has the highest number and proportion of female candidates (two of the three are women), while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the All India Forward Bloc have the lowest levels of female representation (3%).

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) performed better than the Congress Party. The BJP fielded 16% of female candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, whereas the Congress party fielded 13% of female candidates. Among regional parties fighting for more than 20 seats, the Biju Janata Dal (BJD) has 33% female candidates, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) has 29%, the greatest number of women. 

When it comes to reserved seats, the BJP outperforms the Congress in terms of female representation. The BJP fielded ten women in 84 SC reserved seats and six in 47 ST reserved seats. Congress has fielded women in four SC and three ST seats.

Furthermore, six third-gender candidates are running for office. Four of these candidates are independent, while the other two are candidates for unrecognised parties. According to PRS research, six third-gender candidates ran in both the 2014 and 2019 elections.

Smaller and regional parties had a higher number of female candidates. The Naam Tamilar Katchi has equal gender representation, with 20 out of 40 candidates being female. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the Nationalist Congress Party each field 40% female candidates.

Game of Dynasties 

The only female candidates for the Akali Dal (Harsimrat Badal) and the PDP (Mehbooba Mufti) were from political families. Misa Bharti and Rohini Acharya, two of the six RJD candidates, are the daughters of party leader Lalu Prasad. In Maharashtra, the lone woman candidate for NCP-Pawar (Supriya Sule) is also from a political family. One of the two women NCP candidates in Maharashtra (Sunetra Pawar) comes from a political family. In addition, a woman Congress candidate in Odisha dropped out of the contest, claiming that her party was not providing her with cash, while the BJP chose to bench independent MP Sumalatha, the wife of late actor-politician Ambareesh, who joined the party, by offering her seat to JD(S) leader HD Kumaraswamy. 

Factors Contributing to Underrepresentation

While rhetoric about empowerment and gender equality is abundant, real-world initiatives in political areas offer an alternate representation. Despite women making up over 49% of the Indian voter base, the landscape of political power at the national level remains skewed, with female participation in the Lok Sabha, the lower house of Parliament, staying below 10%. 

Several factors contribute to the dearth of female candidates in elections:

1. Political Will: The reluctance of political parties to field female candidates stems from entrenched patriarchal norms and systemic biases that prioritise male leadership.
2. Socio-cultural Barriers: Deep-rooted societal norms often dissuade women from pursuing political careers, citing concerns about safety, societal expectations, and familial responsibilities.
3. Lack of Structural Support: Inadequate support mechanisms, such as financial assistance, training programmes, and mentorship opportunities, further hinder women's entry into politics.

Implications for Governance and Society

The underrepresentation of women in politics has far-reaching implications for governance and societal progress:

• Democratic Deficit: A lack of diverse voices in decision-making processes undermines the principles of democracy and leads to skewed policy outcomes that fail to address the needs of all segments of society.
• Lost Potential: By sidelining capable women leaders, society forfeits the valuable contributions and perspectives they bring to the table, thereby stifling innovation and progress.
• Role Model Effect: Increased visibility of women in politics not only inspires future generations but also challenges existing stereotypes and fosters a more inclusive political culture.

Views expressed by the author are their own