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Journalism of Courage
From the women’s reservation Bill passed by the BJP-led government at the Centre to AAP’s promise of Rs 1,000 a month and Congress’s proposed allowance of Rs 1 lakh per annum — ahead of the Lok Sabha elections, political parties have been pushing key legislative and development measures targeting women voters. Data drawn from three recent Lok Sabha elections shows that their focus on women voters is not surprising.
A number of indicators — from the share of women in the total electorate to their voter turnout — point to their rising participation in the electoral process. Also increasing is the number of parliamentary constituencies where women outnumber men among electors and voters.
📌 An analysis of the data for the 2009, 2014 and 2019 general elections shows that the share of women in the total electorate (those on the electoral rolls) increased from 47.73 per cent in 2009 to 48.09 per cent in 2019. Similarly, women’s share among voters (those who exercised their franchise) went up from 45.79% in 2009 to 48.15% in 2019. These figures, when seen together, show that more and more women are not only registering to vote but turning out to vote on polling day.
📌 A similar trend is seen in the rising number of constituencies where women outnumber men (in absolute terms) on the electoral rolls. The number of such constituencies has gone up from 85 (out of the total 543) in 2009 to 110 in 2019. Similarly, the number of constituencies where the number of women (in absolute terms) exceeded men in exercising their franchise has more than doubled from 64 in 2009 to 143 in 2019.
📌 This trend, over the years, has narrowed the gap in overall turnout (measured in percentage terms) between male and female voters at the national level, with women’s turnout surpassing that of men (67.2% for women compared to 67% for men) in 2019. In 2009, the male turnout at 60.3% was higher than the female turnout at 55.8%. In fact, in the 10 years from 2009 to 2019, the female turnout increased by 11.4% points as compared to a 6.7%-point increase registered in the male turnout and 9.3%-point increase in the overall turnout.
📌 What is particularly noteworthy is the increasing number of constituencies where women’s voter turnout exceeded that of men, despite their lower overall numbers on the electoral rolls.
The number of such constituencies increased from 11 in 2009 to 34 in 2014 and 58 in 2019. In 2009, the 11 seats were spread across seven states and Union Territories – 3 in Tamil Nadu; 2 each in Andhra Pradesh and Himachal Pradesh; and 1 each in Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, and Punjab.
In 2014, the geographical spread of such constituencies expanded to 13 states – 10 in Bihar; 8 in Tamil Nadu; 3 in Odisha; 2 each in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand; and 1 each in Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Jammu and Kashmir, Lakshadweep, Punjab, Rajasthan, and West Bengal.
In 2019, it spread to 17 states, with the highest in Bihar at 18 seats, followed by 6 each in Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal; 3 each in Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, and Uttarakhand; 2 in Rajasthan; and 1 each in Arunachal Pradesh, Daman and Diu, Kerala, Lakshadweep, Meghalaya, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana.
According to the Election Commission, approximately 47.15 crore women are expected to participate in the forthcoming general elections.
