In a stunning paradox of progress and stagnation, the Mukhyamantri Ladki Bahin Scheme emerged as a decisive force in shaping the Maharashtra Assembly elections, garnering significant attention and mobilising women voters in record numbers. Yet, behind this apparent triumph for women’s voices lies a stark reality—women’s representation in the corridors of power remains dismal.
Even though women turned out in unprecedented numbers—65.21 per cent of them cast their votes, up nearly five percentage points from the 59.62 per cent recorded in 2019—the new Maharashtra Assembly tells a sobering tale. Of the 288 seats up for grabs, just 21 women will take their place, making up less than 10 per cent of the house. This, even as only 363 women—just 8.8 per cent of the total candidates—were in the fray, a glaring reminder of the persisting systemic barriers.
The Election Commission data reveals the magnitude of this voter surge. Out of 9.7 crore registered voters, 6.4 crore exercised their franchise. Among them, 3.06 crore were women, a near-equal footing to the 3.34 crore men who voted. But as the numbers swell in the voting booths, the halls of power remain a fortress barely breached by women.
This election was heralded as a watershed moment for women voters, yet it starkly underscores a pressing question: When will women’s increased participation in democracy translate into meaningful representation in governance?
In State Assemblies
The data paints a stark picture: despite proving their leadership mettle in local governance, only a handful of women manage to break through to State or national politics. Even in Maharashtra—a State celebrated for its pioneering role in championing women’s reservations in politics—the percentage of women representatives remains dishearteningly low, a mere token in the broader political landscape.
“Political parties see women as voters, not as candidates, MLAs, or ministers,” says Kamal Vyavahare, an independent candidate who contested and lost from Pune’s Kasba constituency. “For women with leadership qualities who don’t belong to political dynasties, the system erects deliberate hurdles, making it nearly impossible to break through.”
Local bodies
“Since the early 1990’s, the 73rd and 74th amendments, which necessitate 33 per cent reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies made it possible for lakhs of women to enter the political decision-making of the country. Since then, there has been a dramatic change in women’s representation in local administration,” states the government of India’s report titled ‘Women and Men in India 2023’.
Twenty-two States have made provision of 50 per cent reservation for women in Panchayati Raj institutions. Most of these States have achieved this mandate. In Manipur also, 50.7 per cent of the elected representatives are women even though the State has no such legal provision. As on date, the three-tier local bodies had more than 1 million women as elected representatives from various facets of social background and became part of the political decision-making process.
The 2011 UN General Assembly resolution on women’s political participation reiterated that “women in every part of the world continue to be largely marginalised from the political sphere, often as a result of discriminatory laws, practices, attitudes and gender stereotypes, low levels of education, lack of access to health care, and the disproportionate effect of poverty on women.”