Over the span of 15 years, commencing from 2009 at 7 percent and culminating at 9.6 percent in 2024, the ascension of female contenders vying for seats in the Lok Sabha elections has been characterized by a consistent uptrend, as per an assessment conducted by the electoral integrity watchdog ADR.

Presently, the current electoral cycle witnesses 797 female aspirants in contention, constituting 9.6 percent of the aggregate 8,337 aspirants. This marks a progression from preceding general elections which documented a feminine presence of 9 percent in 2019, 8 percent in 2014, and 7 percent in 2009, as revealed by the scrutiny undertaken by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR).

During the Lok Sabha elections of 2009, there existed 556 female hopefuls, amounting to 7 percent of the total 7,810 aspirants. This tally escalated to 640 (8 percent of 8,205) in 2014 and further surged to 716 (9 percent of 7,928) in 2019. In the current year, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leads among the major political entities with 69 female Lok Sabha aspirants out of 440, constituting 16 percent of its entire roster of contenders. Following suit is the Congress party with 41 women out of 327 candidates, accounting for 13 percent.

Notably, smaller political outfits and regional entities exhibit a higher proportion of female aspirants. For example, the Naam Tamilar Katchi manifests gender parity with 20 out of 40 contenders being women, equating to 50 percent. The Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and the Nationalist Congress Party each boast 40 percent female representation, with two out of five contenders being women.

Amongst prominent political factions, the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) and the All India Forward Bloc exhibit the lowest levels of female representation at 3 percent. Some parties with noteworthy female representation in this year’s parliamentary polls encompass the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and the Biju Janata Dal (BJD), each tallying 33 percent, the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) standing at 29 percent. The Samajwadi Party (SP) registers a 20 percent female presence, while the All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) records 25 percent.

Thirteen percent of the Lok Sabha aspirants of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) are women, while the Bahujan Samaj Party presents a figure of 8 percent. Political entities such as the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) and the Communist Party of India (CPI) feature female representation at 14 percent and 7 percent, respectively. The Janata Dal (United) (JD(U)) and Shiv Sena each exhibit 13 percent female candidates, whereas the Jharkhand Mukti Morcha showcases 33 percent female nominees.

Both contenders of the Apna Dal (Sonelal) are women, TDP and BRS each include 6 percent female candidates, the Shiromani Akali Dal and Nationalist Congress Party-Sharadchandra Pawar each consist of 8 percent female contestants, whilst Shiv Sena (UBT) records 10 percent. Independents, constituting a substantial segment of the aspirant pool, feature 276 women out of 3,903 Lok Sabha contenders, representing a modest 7 percent.

Other political entities collectively account for 252 women out of 2,490 candidates, equating to approximately 10 percent. This election marks the first instance since the enactment of the women’s reservation bill, aiming to reserve one-third of seats in Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women, reviving a bill that had remained in limbo for 27 years due to a lack of consensus among parties. However, the bill is yet to be enforced.

The current count of 797 female aspirants in 2024 represents a 9.6 percent slice of the total contender pool of 8,337. Only two contenders from the third gender category are participating in the polls this year, both as independents. During the initial phase of the elections held on April 19, out of 1,618 contesting candidates, a mere 135 were women.

This trend persisted in the subsequent phases, with female contenders maintaining a small fraction of the overall tally. The second phase conducted on April 26 featured 1,192 candidates, out of which 100 were women. Phase 3 polling on May 7 saw 1,352 candidates, including 123 women.

In phase 4 on May 13, out of the 1,710 contestants, 170 were women. Phase 5 on May 20 recorded the fewest candidates at 695, with 82 women, while phase 6 featured 92 women out of 866 candidates. In the final phase scheduled for June 1, there will be 904 candidates, with a mere 95 women.