NewDelhi: The Election Commission of India has unveiled the total statistics from the recently conducted Lok Sabha elections, which were carried out about six months ago and have shown the trend of voters changing in different ways, including the gender aspects of it and how the voters participated. The dataset consists of details about constituency-wise voter population, the number of polling stations, party-wise vote shares, and a thorough explanation about voting among men and women.
The data discloses an extraordinary increment in women involved in the election process. During the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, the total number of voters registered was 979.7 million, while the number of female voters was 476.3 million, which is an increment from 438.5 million in 2019. This is yet another impressive increase in female voters having the right to vote and showing interest in voting.
Puducherry was the top region with the most female voters, accounting for 53.03% of the total voters, and was followed by Kerala at 51.56%. The ratio of voters among genders has improved: 946 females among every 1,000 males, in comparison to 926, which was the result of the previous elections.
The dataset serves to convey an astonishing alteration in the voting patterns by showcasing that women are participating more exceptionally than before and moreover are becoming essential decision-makers in the election scene. In the 2024 elections, the number of votes by women was at 65.78%, while the men had a percentage of 65.55%. This continues the downward trend that has been noticeable ever since 2019, when women outnumbered men for the first time.
In terms of state-wise voter participation, Dhubri in Assam recorded the highest percentage of women voting at 92.17%, while Tamluk in West Bengal was at 87.57%.
This election has become the second case since the independence of India when the female voters have outnumbered the male voters in the attendance at the very first time. The precedent was in the elections held in 2019, and this was taken as stepping up the ladder for the women voters who are now more sure about their impact on political decisions.
The political scientists take this outburst of change to show a positive development regarding Indian democracy, thus reflecting the larger societal picture where women take the offices that would be occupied by men the way it has been for a long time.
Despite the fruits of the efforts made, there still exist challenges on the issue of the women candidates being elected. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, only 800 out of 8,360 candidates were women, which never exceeded one thousand since the first general elections in 1957. The lack of representation continues to be a problem for parliamentary forums despite the gradual rise in women’s candidates in various elections.
In practice, political parties concentrate their support on candidates who come from long power-holding families; this, although, is the real barrier because of the rise of women candidates from ordinary backgrounds. However, the hope of more female representation through the bill, which is going to be implemented with the 33% reservation for women in both the Lok Sabha and the state assembly elections starting from the 2029 elections, is open.
The findings posted by the Election Commission mark a turning point in Indian politics where women are not only involved but rather they are the main factors in the making of the elections. The time is here when political parties should be on the run with women being the focal point of not only the electoral field but also in state governance.