As four states and one union territory head to polls this month, women may be holding more power than others in deciding the fate of elections.
With increased participation over the past few years, women voters are taking centre stage in poll-bound Assam, West Bengal, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, where they are either close to parity with male voters or outnumbering them.
In Puducherry, women voters significantly outnumber males, with 5,03,076 women voters compared to 4,45,761 males. In Assam, women voters make up 50% of the total electorate, with 1,23,39,241 women voters and 1,23,25,293 male voters.
West Bengal sees women account for nearly half of the state's 7.04 crore electorate, with 3.44 crore women electors compared to 3.60 crore male voters. Tamil Nadu has women voters constituting 51% of the electorate, with 2.89 crore women voters out of 5.67 crore total voters.
Kerala sees women voters making up 51.5% of the electorate, with 13,827,319 women voters compared to 13,126,048 male voters.
Political parties are aware of the enormity of the role women would play in deciding who is voted to power, and are accordingly appealing to them.
The BJP has attempted to facilitate the implementation of 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies, while the DMK in Tamil Nadu has promised to provide women with a ₹8,000 coupon to buy/replace electronic goods and free travel for women on buses.
The BJP in Kerala has promised to hike the monthly social welfare pensions to ₹3,000 for all women heads of poor households, senior citizens above the age of 70 and widows.
Elections in Kerala, Assam and Puducherry will take place on April 9, while Tamil Nadu will go to polls on April 23. Only West Bengal will see two-phase elections, on April 23 and 29. Results of all five elections will be announced on May 4.
