Increasing the electoral participation of women has been a key subject of discussion, particularly since the passage of the Women’s Reservation Bill earlier this year. In poll-bound Rajasthan, the share of women among the total candidates in the fray is low – at 183 out of 1,875.
In the outgoing Assembly, 24 out of the 200 MLAs were women, forming 12 percent of the legislative strength. This is way lower than the 50 percent legislative share of women, as envisaged in the women’s reservation law that is expected to come into effect after a few years following the next census.
Here’s a look at the success rate of female candidates in the last 35 years.
The share of women candidates, along with the number of female MLAs being elected, has risen over the past 35 years.
In 1977, only seven women MLAs were elected, out of the 32 who had contested, as per the data shared by the Election Commission. In 1980, the number of female contestants came in at 31, whereas, 10 among them were elected.
In the 1985 polls, 44 women candidates were in the fray, and 16 among them won. In 1990, the number of female candidates increased to 87, but those winning among them came down to 11.
In 1993, the number of women candidates again went up and stood at 90. However, the success rate dwindled as only nine among them were elected.
In the next Assembly election in 1998, women candidates in the fray came down to 69, but the number of those who won among them increased to 14.
Also Read: Rajasthan Election 2023: Here’s what Sachin Pilot thinks Congress needs to introspect on
The year 2003 saw a significant jump in the number of women contestants, at 118. Out of them, however, only 12 were successfully elected.
In the 2008 polls, the number of candidates slightly dropped to 111, but 28 among them won, more than double as compared to the preceding elections.
In the 2013 and 2018 polls, the number of women candidates grew sharply to 151 and 184, respectively. The strike rate, however, did not increase as 27 were elected in 2013 and 24 in the last elections.
The 2022 seats for Rajasthan will be contested in a single-phase poll on November 25. The counting of votes has been scheduled by the Election Commission on December 3.
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Updated: 21 Nov 2023, 10:34 PM IST