#MintPlainFacts | Last week, the Congress pledged to field women in 40% of the seats in the upcoming Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh. At the outset, it could be seen as a way to boost the dismal representation of women in Indian politics.
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In the 1980s and 1990s, the gap was still around 9-10%.
But in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, male voter turnout exceeded the female turnout only marginally. By 2019, the gap had almost closed.
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This was not simply a national-level trend: women outnumbered men in voter turnout across most states.
In 2014, this was true for 12 of 29 states, but the trend reversed in 2019, with women voter turnout exceeding men’s in 16 states.
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Women voters in Himachal Pradesh, Bihar, Arunachal Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, and Goa also outnumbered men during the last Assembly elections held in these states.
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Increasing female participation in elections may not be the only reason why India’s political class is trying to mobilize women voters.
Parties are making a massive effort—from formulating policies even when in power to promising poll tickets to women
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However, increasing turnouts don’t mean women have emerged as a distinct voting block.
Their vote is somewhat equally divided among parties, as indicated by Lokniti-CSDS survey data collected during various state polls.
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