8% of female candidates ran in the first two rounds of the Lok Sabha elections

8% of female candidates ran in the first two rounds of the Lok Sabha elections

There were 135 female candidates in the first round of the Lok Sabha elections, and 100 more in the second round, for a total of 235 female candidates in the first two rounds.

Political observers and activists have taken issue with the notable gender disparity, questioning why the parties are not proactively providing tickets to women instead of waiting for the Women's Reservation Bill to take effect.

Only 8% of the 1,618 candidates who ran in the first two rounds of the Lok Sabha elections were women. Political activists claim this underlines a deeper problem of gender prejudice and that any discourse of women's empowerment is meaningless.

There were 135 female candidates in the first round of the Lok Sabha elections, and 100 more in the second round, for a total of 235 female candidates in the first two rounds. Kerala had the most female candidates with 24 in phase 2, whereas Tamil Nadu has the largest number of women candidates with 76 out of the 135 in phase 1, however they make up just 8% of the state's total candidates.

In terms of the party, the BJP fielded 69 women in the first two rounds of voting, while the Congress has only fielded 44 women so far. Political observers and activists have taken issue with the notable gender disparity, questioning why the parties are not proactively providing tickets to women instead of waiting for the Women's Reservation Bill to take effect.

Dr. Sushila Ramaswamy, an associate professor at Jesus and Mary College at Delhi University, said that political parties have to take proactive measures to support female candidates. She emphasized, "Political parties should have been more proactive and fielded more women candidates," pointing to the success of seat reservations for women in party structures, seen in the British Labour Party.

Since women make up almost half of voters in India, their underrepresentation in the field of candidates raises more general concerns about the obstacles preventing women from fully engaging in politics, according to Dr. Iftekhar Ahmad Ansari, an associate professor at Aligarh Muslim University (AMU). He emphasized the significance of structural changes to guarantee equal chances for women in politics, above and beyond the symbolic gestures and pledges.

He emphasized how important it is for party leadership to support gender diversity. "Political parties must prioritise gender inclusion in candidate selection as well as offer adequate support to women aspirants," she said.

According to Farhat Jahan, a retired faculty member at the Abdullah Women's College at the AMU, the problem of women's political representation goes beyond numerical quotas and includes structural changes in party dynamics and electoral processes. She also emphasized the need for gender-sensitive policies that address the difficulties faced by women in politics. "Political parties have a chance to show their dedication to gender equality by taking tangible steps during the next election stages. "Programs like capacity-building workshops, mentorship programs, and awareness campaigns can enable women to actively engage in the political process and aspire to leadership positions," she said.

Professor Mohammad Aftab Alam of the AMU's political science department brought attention to the difficulties women often have in developing their own political beliefs in the face of social pressures. "Even those who are elected are frequently reduced to symbolic roles," he said, drawing attention to more general problems with token representation.

The BJD is the only party that guarantees female candidates 33% of the tickets as a matter of principle. State vice president of the Biju Mahila Dal of the BJD, Meera Parida, commended her party's move to reserve 33% of seats for women while emphasizing the need for real action in the area of women's empowerment.

"Reserving seats on its own is insufficient. Advocating for fundamental changes, she emphasized the need for a culture transformation that acknowledges women as leaders and decision-makers. The manifestos of both main political parties, the Congress and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), include policies aimed at empowering women.

In order to honor and empower women, the BJP's manifesto calls for the implementation of the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam. It also calls for the integration of women's Self-Help Groups (SHGs) into the service sector to increase their economic involvement and extend health services. The speedy passage of the Women's Reservation Bill is one of the legislative measures for women's empowerment that the Congress has promised.

These pledges haven't, however, resulted in a large increase in the number of female candidates. The Chief of the Congress Women's Wing, Alka Lamba, emphasized the Congress's dedication to gender equality in all fields.

Lamba said, "The Congress has extended political, economic, and social rights to women," laying out audacious goals for the proportion of women in positions of leadership. Political parties are under pressure to address these issues and show concrete pledges to promoting women's representation and involvement in government as the Lok Sabha elections draw near.

Aftab said that there would be strict monitoring of the future election phases to see if there has been a significant change in the political environment towards more gender inclusion, particularly in light of the excitement around the approval of the Women's Reservation Bill. "While parties are vocal about strengthening women, the lack of women candidates reflects the more serious problem of gender bias within political systems," said Dr. Ramaswamy.

The largest electoral exercise in history will take place in seven parts starting on April 19 and ending with the vote counting on June 4. The dates of the remaining stages are May 7, May 13, May 20, May 25, and June 1. The second phase took place on April 26.