Lok Sabha Elections: 74 women won polls this time, slight dip from 2019; West Bengal’s TMC top the charts

India's mammoth general election of 2024 concluded on June 4 when the Election Commission of India (ECI) announced results for 543 constituencies. The 17th Lok Sabha was dissolved on Wednesday (June 5) with the resignation of PM Narendra Modi to President Droupadi Murmu. Once again, the NDA-led BJP is expected to be at the helm with its allies for the 18th Lok Sabha.

Among many stark differences between the 2019 and 2024 elections, representation of women Members of Parliament (MPs) also saw a slight change. In 2019, a total of 78 women MPs were elected to the Lower House of the Parliament. The 2024 parliament will see a slight dip in women's representation, bringing the number down to 74.

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Women constitute 13.6 per cent members of the new Lok Sabha in 2024, according to ECI data, as against 14.3 per cent of all members in the 17th Lok Sabha elected in 2019.

Lok Sabha Election 2024: 74 women won Lok Sabha polls this time, with West Bengal’s TMC topping the charts

Here are some interesting stats on women representation in the 2024 general elections:

1.With over 13.62 per cent female MPs, the 18th Lok Sabha will have one of the highest numbers of women members since 1952.

2.The 17th Lok Sabha had the highest number of women parliamentarians at 78, constituting over 14.3 per cent of the total strength.

3.A total of 797 women candidates had contested the elections with the BJP fielding the maximum at 69 followed by the Congress at 41.

4.As per ECI’s data, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fielded 69 women candidates, of which 30 or 43.4 per cent won. In 2019, the BJP fielded 56 women candidates, of which 41 or 73.2 per cent won.

5.In case of the Congress, out of the 41 women candidates, 13, or 34 per cent won in the 2024 elections. In 2019, only six of its 52 women candidates fielded by the Congress were elected.

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6.Two of the women MPs elected in the latest elections are also among the youngest MPs – Priya Saroj (25) of Samajwadi Party elected from Machhlishahr in Uttar Pradesh, and Congress’s Sanjana Jatav (25) from Bharatpur in Rajasthan.

7.Four winning women candidates are from SP, three from Dravida Munnetra (DMK), two each from Janata Dal (United) and Lok Janshakti Party (LJP). Besides, one candidate each has won from Telugu Desam Party (TDP), Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar), Yuvajana Sramika Rythu Congress Party, and Rashtriya Janata Dal, among others.

8.The Trinamool Congress (TMC) played an important role in maintaining the decent representation of women in the Lok Sabha with 11 of its women candidates winning in 2024 against nine in 2019. The TMC had fielded 12 women in the 2024 polls.

9.In case of state-wise performance, the maximum number of women candidates has won from West Bengal at 11 and all of them from TMC.

Another important thing to be noted is that this was the first general election to be held since the introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill 2023 in the Lok Sabha.

The bill, which is yet to come into effect, aims to reserve one-third of the seats in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assembly for women.

(With inputs from agencies)