NEW DELHI: In nearly 32% of Lok Sabha
constituencies
- 137 out of the 427 seats for which voter
turnout data
has been released - females have accounted for higher percentage of votes cast in the first five phases of elections.
According to
political analysts
, though higher percentage of women voters does not imply their dominance in numbers, more females coming out to vote is an encouraging trend and a signal that they are seeking more say in governance.
The Election Commission's turnout data show that in Bihar, where polling has been completed in 24 of 40 seats, a higher percentage of female voters came out to exercise their franchise in 20 constituencies in the last four phases. In the first phase, only Jamui saw higher percentage of women electors casting their votes.
In Jharkhand too, where polling has been completed for eight seats in the fourth and fifth phases, a higher percentage of females turned up at polling stations across all constituencies. In the case of Odisha, five out of the nine constituencies where polling has been completed saw a similar trend. In West Bengal, 18 out of the 25 constituencies that have gone to polls have also reported higher percentage of registered women electors casting their votes.
The trend was no different in nearly half of all the seats in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, while all the LS constituencies in Gujarat and Maharashtra saw higher percentage of male voters exercising their franchise than women.
Ranjana Kumari, director of Centre for Social Research, said, "We are observing a similar pattern where women are voting more in numbers in many constituencies in this election. Women have largely been the beneficiaries (lavarthis) of welfare programmes. The political aspiration among local women has also increased since 1993 when Panchayati Raj Act was passed and women became elected representatives. That's also helping women make their own decisions and there is more political consciousness."
Prasanna Mishra, a Bhubaneswar-based former bureaucrat and public policy analyst, said more
women voting
indicates better social mobility. "There is a spontaneous desire of women folk to express their entitlement. But it may not be necessary that they are supporting the incumbent govt for creating a large number of women self help groups," he added.
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