Vinay Express News, New Delhi. Chief Election Commissioner Sushil Chandra has revealed a news that is unprecedented for Indian democracy. In an international webinar, hosted by the Election Commission of India (ECI) itself, CEC Sushil Chandra said that Women voter participation in the country exceeded that of men after seven decades and 17 general elections.
“After 7 decades and 17 General Elections since Independence, women’s participation in India has exceeded that of men and stood at more than 67 per cent in the 2019 General Election,” said CEC Chandra in the webinar, which was held in New Delhi on the theme “Enhancing electoral participation of Women, Persons with Disabilities (PwDs) & Senior citizen Voters: Sharing Best Practices and New Initiatives”. The CEC further said, “The gender gap, a crucial parameter, which was -16.71 per cent in 1962, has not only closed but reversed to +0.17 per cent in 2019. In fact, India has witnessed a 235.72 per cent increase in female electors since the 1971 elections.”
Efforts by ECI
It was also highlighted that ECI has taken a lot of initiatives to increase the participation of women. The efforts included associating more women as polling booth officials, setting up a larger number of ‘All Women Managed’ Polling Stations, setting up creche facility at Polling booths, building and arranging for separate toilets and waiting area for women staff, ensuring ease of registration with women Block level Officers, etc.
Women voters: Figure increases four times
During the event, Election Commissioner Rajiv Kumar also highlighted the enhanced women participation in the electoral process. He conveyed that the figures have increased from 78 million women in the first general election to over 294 million in the 2019 general elections. “Even in terms of representation, the number of women elected to the Lower House of the Parliament increased from 24 in the first General election to 78 in 2019 LS election,” said the Election Commissioner. The CEC also explained the concept of Absentee voter facilitation. This was introduced by ECI in 2020 start voting facility at the doorstep especially for senior citizens above 80 years of age, PwDs and COVID-affected voters. The webinar was attended by over 100 delegates from 24 countries, 4 international organizations and 20 diplomats.
Author: विनय थानवी
