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Women numbers up in polls from 7 pc in 2009 to 9.6 pc in 2024

NEW DELHI: From 7 per cent in 2009 to 9.6 per cent in 2024, the number of female candidates contesting the Lok Sabha elections saw a steady rise in 15 years, according to an analysis by the poll rights body ADR.

This year, 797 women are in the fray, constituti­ng 9.6 per cent of the total 8,337 candidates. This marks an increase from previous general assembly elections which recorded female representa­tion of 9 per cent in 2019, 8 per cent in 2014, and 7 per cent in 2009, the analysis by the Associatio­n of Democratic Reforms (ADR) showed.

In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections, there were 556 female candidates, making up 7 per cent of the total 7,810 candidates. This number increased to 640 (8 per cent of 8,205) in 2014 and further to 716 (9 per cent of 7,928) in 2019.

This year, the BJP leads among the major parties with 69 female Lok Sabha nominees out of 440, making up 16 per cent of its total candidates. The Congress follows with 41 women out of 327 candidates, constituti­ng 13 per cent.

Significan­tly, smaller parties and regional players exhibit higher proportion­s of female candidates. For instance, the Naam Tamilar Katchi has an equal gender representa­tion with 20 out of 40 candidates being women, translatin­g to 50 per cent. The Lok Janshakti Party and the Nationalis­t Congress Party each have 40 per cent female candidates, with two out of five being women. Among prominent parties, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the All India Forward Bloc have the lowest levels of female representa­tion at 3 per cent.