Female turnout exceeded male turnout in all three districts that went to polls on April 9 – Assam, Kerala and Puducherry – according to gender-related data published by the Election Commission of India (ECI) on Friday.
This was also the case in 2021, the last time the three regions saw parliamentary elections.
Puducherry recorded the highest women participation at 91.40%, followed by Assam at 86.50% and Kerala at 81.19%. In each of these regions, women voted in higher proportions than men.
In Puducherry, the participation rate among women was 91.40% compared to 88.13% among men. The overall turnout in the Union Territory was 89.87%, the highest since 2011. Female turnout was 86.29% in 2011, 85.44% in 2016, and 82.20% in 2021. Male turnout was lower than female turnout in each of these elections.
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Assam recorded a female turnout of 86.50% compared to 85.33% for men, taking the overall turnout to 85.91%, the highest ever in a state Assembly election in the state. In 2016, the female participation rate was equal to the male participation rate, at 84.67%. In 2021, the female turnout of 82.01% exceeded the male turnout of 81.60%.
In Kerala, women’s voter turnout was 81.19%, compared to 75.19% for men. Overall turnout in the state was 78.27%, up from 76% in 2021. Women outperformed men in each of the recent elections. In 2016, the female turnout rate was 78.14% compared to 75.97% for men, while in 2021 it reached 73.94% for women and 73.85% for men.
The high overall turnout in the three regions was also a factor in the intensified special revision in Kerala and Puducherry, and the special revision in Assam, which trimmed the electoral rolls.
