Marked improvement  in women’s representation in the Lok  Sabhas

By  our  special political  Correspondent

New  Delhi, July  11  (IVC)   An impressive  improvement  in the representation of    women  in the various  Lok Sabhas  was recorded  from the  first Lok  Sabha in 1952  to the just concluded 18^th   Lok Sabha elections in 2024, though   there  was a slight  decline  in the  18^th Lok Sabha  in 2024  as against the  17^th Lok  Sabha in 2019, recording  a  decline of  point  seven three  per  cent.

                The  total  number  of  women in the  17^th Lok Sabha was 78,(14.36 per cent).  But  it was  only  74  (13.63  per  cent)  in  the  current  Lok  Sabha , marking  a  decline  of  only point  seven three  per  cent. In the  first  Lok Sabha  in 1952, women’s representation was 4.50 per  cent  and in the 18h Lok Sabha it  touched  to  13.63  per  cent.

                In the  first  Lok  Sabha  there were 22  women  MPs out  of  a  total of  489  members as   per   the  report  of  the  Study  of  Developing  Societies.

                In 1957 of  the  494 MPs, 27  were  women constituting 5.5  per  cent  of women’s  representation. There  was barely any  difference among  the  political parties between 2019  and 2024 Lok Sabha elections. The  success rate  of  BJP women candidates declined to 44.9 per  cent in 2024  from 74.6  per  cent  in 2019.

                But  the  number  of women who got elected  in 2024 declined to 31  from 41  in 2019, the  report  added.

                On the  other hand, the  success rate of congress party’s  women candidates increased   to 18.8 per  cent   in 2024 from 11.5 per  cent  in  2019. Of  the  41  women candidates  of  the   Congress  party 13 were   declared  elected  to  the  18^th  Lok  Sabha.

                Out  of  the  12  women  candidates  fielded by  the  Trinamool  Congress in 2024,  11  were  declared  elected, gaining 91.6  per  cent  success rate.  It  is  no  a  mean  feat.  Women constituted 40.9 per  cent  of  all Trinamool MPs in 2019.  In 2024 the share of the women MPs  stood  at  37.9  per  cent. Samajwadi  party’s  five  , out  of  14 women contested  in 2024  Lok  Sabha, were declared elected.

                Percentage-wise  details  of  women’s representation  in the  various Lok Sbhas are :  Fourth Lok Sabha  5.96 %,  fifth  4.25 %, Sixth 3.51%, Seventh 5.17%,  Eighth 8.13%,  Ninth  6.81%, 10^th  7.87%, 11^th 7.37%,  12^th 8.10%, 13^th  8.84%,   14^th 8.29%, 15^th 10.68%, 16^th 11.42  per cent. IVC  Ckg Dli