With four states and one union territory heading to the polls this month, women may have more power than others to decide the fate of elections. With increased participation over the past few years, female voters have come to the fore in the polling states of Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where they are close to par with or outnumbering male voters.
Before delving deeper into the role women play as voters, take a look at the statistics from Assam, Tamil Nadu, West Bengal, Puducherry and Kerala:
Puducherry: The Union Territory is said to have 5,03,076 women voters, which is much higher than the 4,45,761 male voters who make up this category, along with 140 voters of the third gender.
AssamThe total number of voters in the northeastern state is 2,45,72,144 voters, including 1,23,39,241 female voters and 1,23,25,293 male voters.
West Bengal: Despite the significant decrease in the number of female voters compared to men, according to European Commission data after reporting the preliminary results of the electoral lists, the numbers of females are still greater.
The number of female voters is about 3.44 crore, while the number of male voters is 3.60 crore. Overall, women account for nearly half of the state’s 7.04 lakh crore voters.
Tamil Nadu: Women voters in Tamil Nadu represent 51% of the electorate – 2.89 lakh crore (28.9 million) out of 5.67 lakh crore (56.7 million).
KeralaAs reported earlier by HT, poll panel data from Kerala shows that out of 26,953,644 voters in the southern state, 13,126,048 are male, 13,827,319 are female and 277 are transgender.
Political parties also realize the magnitude of the role that women may play in determining who will vote into power, and thus they appeal to them.
How do parties attract female voters?
One of the most important outreaches to women by the BJP is an attempt to facilitate the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies. Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently took his pitch to women voters in West Bengal. “It is important for the country that women have a greater role in the decisions taken for the country. Therefore, our government has enacted a law stipulating 33 per cent reservation for women in the House of Representatives and state assemblies,” Modi said.
Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee also reached out to women voters, a constituency she has supported time and again. In an escalation of the standoff against the BJP, it recently claimed that thousands of genuine voters, especially women and “Bengali-speaking people”, have been removed from the voters’ list.
She also urged women to resist attempts to seize stalls.
Women’s welfare was also in focus as the ruling Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) party in Tamil Nadu unveiled its election manifesto. The party announced that it would provide women with… $8,000 voucher, which will help them purchase/exchange any electronic goods at their homes. Moreover, free travel for women in buses was also promised.
In Kerala, the Bharatiya Janata Party promised to raise monthly welfare pensions to $3000 from the current $$2,000 was distributed by the LDF government, announcing that the increased amount would be paid to all women heading poor families, senior citizens above 70 years of age and widows.
Elections will be held in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry on April 9, and Tamil Nadu will go to polls on April 23. Only West Bengal will witness elections in two phases, on April 23 and 29. The results of all five elections will be announced on May 4.
