The litmus test for a truly representative democracy and inclusive political participation seek adequate representation of women in politics. India is the largest Parliamentary democracy with 662.9 million voters are women. Globally, as per the ranking by IPU1 as of 1st March, 2025 India ranks 151 among 185 countries in terms of women’s representation in Parliament. Political empowerment of women is key to achieving gender equality.
There is a strange paradox regarding women’s political participation in India where at one hand we see powerful women political leaders and on the other hand, there are only few women in the Parliament and State Assemblies. While there is a 50 per cent quota for women in the urban local bodies and a significant rise is also observed in registration of women as voters and female political participation, this has not translated into increased representation in the state assemblies or Parliament. Around 49 per cent of India’s population is female; however, only 14 per cent of the members of the current Parliament are women.
As per the 2009 Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) survey, one of the strongest deterrents to women entering politics was the lack of finances to contest electoral campaign. The chances of winning of a female candidate with assets less than INR 10 million was 1.49 per cent only in 2024 Indian General Election. It is to be noted that none of the 279 independent women candidates won in the 2024 General Election given the absence ofsupport.
Because of various structural impediments women remain underrepresented in Parliamentary and State Assemblies. This lack of
representation is primarily caused by male dominated party structure, lack of inner party democracy within parties, societal norms, expectations that prioritise traditional gender roles, caregiving duties, institutional barriers, patriarchal norms, stereotypes and biases based on physical characteristics, cultural biases and the long prevalent notion that women are not as electable as men.
Even the women from political dynasties are mostly given safe seats previously occupied by a male family member where their win is almost assured. The highly centralized and non transparent ticket distribution within political parties also tend to disproportionately allot tickets to mostly those women candidates who are from established political families, dominant castes, and financially affluent groups.
Other key challenges include resource scarcity, financial constraints, proxy representation, lack of opportunities for women belonging to SC/ST and OBC, cyber bully and harassment, gender-based violence, political violence and intimidation especially during elections. Evidently, the Panchayats in rural areas and municipalities in urban areas have made remarkable achievements in the field of political empowerment of women. These local bodies bring more and more women into the field of politics making significant changes in governance. It is therefore, vital to evaluate the multilayered challenges on the way to women’s representation in politics and policy making. For a woman to be reasonably politically represented entails their equal involvement in electoral processes, policy-making, and leadership positions. It encompasses voting, standing for elections, holding public office, and being involved in decision-making at all levels of governance.
Legal Framework:
India’s legal framework guarantees gender equality, but the reality remains unequal. Part III of the India Constitution guarantees the fundamental rights of men and women. The Directive Principles of State Policy ensure economic empowerment by providing for equal pay for equal work by both men and women, humane conditions of work, and maternity relief. Articles 325 and 326 of the Constitution guarantee political equality and the right to vote by ensuring Universal Adult Franchise and preventing exclusion from the voter’s list based on sex. Articles 84 and 173 of the Constitution ensure that any Indian citizen who is registered as a voter can contest elections to the Parliament or the state legislative assemblies
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts passed in 1992 mandated that one-third of seats in Panchayati Raj institutions (PRIs), a system of rural local self-government in India, be reserved for women, promoting women’s participation in local government. India is a signatory to the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) and aligns with the Beijing Declaration on gender equality, promoting women’s participation in public life.
Women’s reservation Bill:
The Women’s Reservation Bill, first introduced in 1996 as the Constitution (81st Amendment) Bill and later tabled in 2008 as the Constitution (108th Amendment) Bill, sought to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies marked a historic moment in India’s legislative history. Over three decades later and six attempts to pass the measure, finally in September 2023 the 128th Constitution Amendment Bill, referred to as the ‘Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam’ was passed with all 214 members present in the Upper House voting in favour of the bill.
Implementation is expected after the next census and delimitation exercise. Decadal census which was to be implemented in 2021 has been delayed indefinitely. The question, therefore, remains as to whether there is enough political will to make this commitment a law.This delay also reflects male-dominated legislators’ reluctance to address gender disparities in politics. The timely conduct of the census planned in 2026-27 is crucial to implement this bill by 2029.
Status of Women Participation in Politics in India:
The number of women MPs elected in the Lok Sabha elections was 58 in 2009, 62 in 2014, 78 in 2019, and 74 in 2024. In 1962, the female voter turnout in Lok Sabha Elections was 46.6%, and by 2024, it significantly increased to 65.8% during the 18th Lok Sabha Elections. The number of women contesting elections has also seen a remarkable rise. In 1957, only 45 women stood as candidates in the Lok Sabha elections.
During the 18th Lok Sabha elections, this number had soared to 800, demonstrating an increasing willingness and opportunity for women to participate as political candidates. Women representation in legislative bodies has gradually improved. In the Lok Sabha, the number of female representatives was 22 (5%) in 1951, which increased to 74 (13.6%) in 2024. Similarly, female representation in the Rajya Sabha went up from 7% in 1952 to 13% in 2023. At the local level, women hold a more significant share of seats. In 2022, women comprised 44% of representatives in local self-government institutions, with a total of 1,375,914 female representatives.
Women in Politics Way Forward:
Mandate on Political Parties: Steps can be taken by parties for promoting gender equality within, by introducing quotas. Every registered political party should be legally mandated to give one third of the total number of party tickets it distributes at every election to women candidates. Additionally, allocation of funds to women’s wings, and developing a gender action plan for its members. Selecting women candidates based on merit: Political parties should only give tickets to worthy women candidates based on their merit and
credibility. Parties should refrain from giving tickets to the candidates based on money, muscle and family background/political dynasty which only ends up making women as a proxy law-makers thereby defeating the whole purpose of gender equality and role of women in key policy making.
Women’s tokenistic inclusion: This implies male party leaders selecting woman candidates that they can control from behind the scenes. This could be in the form of a defeated or behind the bars male politician making women of their house as their proxy. This leads to close space for dissent, free decision making amongst women leaders and concentration of power in the hands of one or few powerful male politician/(s). Another sad reality of Indian politics is that women often struggle to advance in political parties without the patronage of powerful male leaders. Therefore,bringing courageous, credible and worthy women into National and State politics could be a significant step for women’s representation which inturn would result in making governance more responsive to women’s interests and needs.
Role of Women Organisations: Women’s organisations and networks within political parties and civil society must continue to help women assert their presence within the larger political and social landscape. Capacity Building and removal of barriers: Continuous training programs and mentorship for women in politics can build confidence and equip them with the necessary skills for governance. Better educational opportunities for women, improved financial stability, greater media awareness and reducing societal cultural and gender prejudices can enhance their political participation.
Promoting Gender Sensitization: Political parties and civil society must advocate for gender sensitisation programs to break societal stereotypes and encourage equal participation of women in governance. Technological and Financial Support: Endeavour should be made towards providing women with access to digital tools for campaigning and communication along with financial assistance or subsidies for electoral campaigns. Adoption of political finance reforms targeting gender equality are the need of the hour. Gender-targeted public funding may also be considered in salience with other pending reforms. Public funding to political parties can be used as an incentive to level the playing field and increase the number of women candidates or elected women.