Decline in Women MPs Elected in LS Elections 2024: ECI Reports

By: WE Staff | Thursday, 6 June 2024

The 18th Lok Sabha Elections saw 74 women Members of Parliament (MPs) elected, a slight decrease from 2019 when 78 women MPs were elected. According to data from the Election Commission of India, women constitute 13.6 per cent of the new Lok Sabha in 2024, marking the first general election since the Women's Reservation Bill 2023 introduced that aims to reserve one-third of women's seats in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.

The 2024 general elections saw 797 women contesting in seven phases from 19 April to 1 June whereas the results were declared on 4 June. Women MPs in the Lower House have seen a steady increase, with 62 in 2014, 58 in 2009, and 49 in the 1991 LS elections. The ECI data further states that the ruling party Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded 69 women candidates, with 30 (43.4 per cent) female candidates grabbing the seats whereas, in the 2019 elections, BJP fielded 56 female candidates where 41 (73.2 per cent) won. In the 2024 elections, 13 (34 per cent) of the 41 women candidates in the Congress won, compared to only 6 out of 52 in 2019. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) maintained a decent representation of women, with 11 out of 12 female candidates winning.

Other parties with significant female representation include Lok Janshakti Party and Nationalist Congress Party showcasing 40 per cent female representation each, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha and Biju Janata Dal with 33 per cent women candidates each, Rashtriya Janata Dal with 29 per cent, and Samajwadi Party with 20 per cent. 4 from SP, 3 from Dravida Munnetra DMK, 2 each from Janata Dal, and Lok Janshakti Party candidates have won the election, along with one from Telugu Desam Party, Nationalist Congress Party, Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, and Rashtriya Janata Dal.

The recent elections in India saw several prominent women MPs elected, including Congress's Kumari Selja, BJP's Kangana Ranaut and Hema Malini, Samajwadi Party's Dimple Yadav and Iqra Chaudhry, RJD's Misa Bharti, TMC's Mahua Moitra, DMK's Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, and NCP's Supriya Sule. However, key parliamentarians like Amethi's incumbent MP Smriti Irani, and Sultanpur MP Maneka Gandhi lost.