Women out of the electoral closet

The news that women recorded the highest voter turnout in Bihar’s history, well above that of men, reaffirms the growing belief that the female political identity is one of the most compelling forces shaping India’s democracy.

- NEHA BHATT

It has been a long time coming. In the run-up to the 2014 general elections, while reporting on the “Modi fever” that had seemingly gripped women voters in Gujarat, many women across age and income groups told me that Narendra Modi was the only leader they had revered since Indira Gandhi and that no one had given them such a sense of “self-confidence and safety”.

A few compared him to a Bollywood star, while others associated him with “positive development”. Neutral political observers were struck by how vocal women voters had become.

One thing was clear: women voters had finally emerged into the public eye as a collective electoral force— more visible and self-assured about their political choices than ever before.

More than a decade later, we have a lot more data to prove it. What Women Want: Understanding the Female Voter in Modern India by journalist Ruhi Tewari comes at a good time, combining data with reportage to trace the journey of the female voter from the margins to the centre of public and political attention.

Drawing on years of political reporting, Ms Tewari unpacks the motivations of the woman voter. She threads together quick snapshots of their lives across the country and the very basic needs that drive their electoral choices.