Democracy on the threshold of women reservation : Now the parties will have to take responsibility

The Nari Shakti Vandan Act passed in 2023, i.e. the 106th Amendment of the Constitution, is a historic attempt to increase the representation of women in India's democratic structure. This Act ensures 33% reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, but its success will not be determined by merely being inscribed in the Constitution but by the political will to implement it. If this reservation becomes effective in the general elections of the year 2029, it will not only be a turning point for India's democracy, but will also determine the direction of women's leadership. For this, political parties will have to take comprehensive and far-sighted steps from now on.

- PRIYANKA SAURABH Research Scholar in Political Science, Hisar, Haryana.

The presence of women in Indian politics has always been limited. In the 18th Lok Sabha elected in 2024, only 74 women were elected, which is only 13.6% of the total seats. This figure has also decreased compared to 2019 and is far behind the global average of 26.9%. The situation in state assemblies is even more worrying, where on average only 9% of the MLAs are women. This not only reflects gender inequality but also affects the policy-making process in which the participation of half the population is negligible.

There are many social, economic and political reasons for the low level of women's participation in politics. The biggest reason is the deeply ingrained patriarchal thinking of Indian society. Women are limited to family roles, due to which leadership opportunities naturally go to men. Practices like 'Sarpanch Pati' make this thinking even more clear.

There is also a perception within political parties that women are weak candidates in terms of winning elections. But this is a myth, which recent data disproves. For example, women were only 9.6% of the candidates in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, but their success rate was higher than men - they won 13.6% of the seats.