Volume : 12, Issue : 1, JAN 2026

THE GENDER TURN IN INDIAN ELECTIONS: WHEN MOBILIZING WOMEN CHANGES PARTY COMPETITION

JAFAR

Abstract

In recent elections in India, attitudes regarding females as “dependent” voters have changed and females are now viewed as a decisive portion of the electorate. The general election of 2024 seals this change as females voted in parity with men, and all the parties in the contest sought to win the pseudo political prize of “women’s welfare” and then continued to act in a way that promoted women’s welfare as a political objective. This paper argues that India is now experiencing a gender turn in electoral politics, which is far more complex than simply being a rise in women’s turnout. The gender turn is extending the scope of party competition and is reshaped around three interrelated shifts; 1) the construction of proximate and supportive mobilization infrastructures for women’s enfranchisement (facilitation by the Election Commission, self-help groups, and dense women’s networks); 2) a paradox i.e. women as “beneficiary-citizens” of the targeted welfare of married women that compels parties to compete on the politics of women’s everyday governance (food security, household infrastructure, cash transfers, and service delivery); and 3) the enduring representation paradox being a steep increase in the electorate’s women voters with no corresponding increase in women’s descriptive representation in the ranks of the party contestants and of the parliament.

By employing feminist political theory, the study interprets the participation of women in elections not as a simple turn out by a statistic; rather, it is a multidimensional struggle of woman for empowerment, voice, and recognition. Using electoral sociology, it shows the ways women’s collective networks and welfare ties influence t salience of issues, coalition construction, and campaign tactics. The author places these networks and ties on the Viksit Bharat @2047 scenario: official development discourse has placed these “Mahilayen” in the center of the development of the nation, but a Developing India discourse requires a change in movement from women being the only targeted recipients to women being the only agenda-setters and decision-makers of development. An out-of-the-box insight is that India’s gender turn is best understood as a transition from identity only competition to everyday state competition, where women’s votes compel parties to demonstrate effective governance - however this same process can reproduce paternalism is there is no sufficient closure in the system regarding the representation and political voice.

Article : Download PDF

Cite This Article

IESRJ

International Educational Scientific Research Journal

E-ISSN: 2455-295X

International Indexed Journal | Multi-Disciplinary Refereed Research Journal

ISSN: 2455-295X

Peer-Reviewed Journal - Equivalent to UGC Approved Journal

Peer-Reviewed Journal

Article No : 20

Number of Downloads : 18

References

1. Association for Democratic Reforms. “Lok Sabha Elections 2024: On Women’s Representation, a Step Backwards.” ADR India, 6 Oct. 2024.

2. Chattopadhyay, Raghabendra, and Esther Duflo. “Women as Policy Makers: Evidence from a Randomized Policy Experiment in India.” Econometrica, vol. 72, no. 5, Sept. 2004.

3. Crenshaw, Kimberlé. “Mapping the Margins: Intersectionality, Identity Politics, and Violence against Women of Color.” Stanford Law Review, vol. 43, no. 6, July 1991.

4. Election Commission of India. “Press Note No. ECI/PN/116/2024: 65.79% Voter Turnout Recorded at Polling Stations in GE 2024.” 6 June 2024.

5. Fraser, Nancy. “From Redistribution to Recognition? Dilemmas of Justice in a ‘Post-Socialist’ Age.” New Left Review, no. 212, 1995, pp. 68–93.

6. Government of India. The Gazette of India Extraordinary. “The Constitution (One Hundred and Twenty-Eighth Amendment) Bill, 2023 (Bill No. 124 of 2023).” 19 Sept. 2023.

7. Government of India. “Mission Statement of Viksit Bharat.” 2025.

8. Kabeer, Naila. “Reflections on the Measurement of Women’s Empowerment.” Discussing Women’s Empowerment: Theory and Practice, Sida Studies No. 3, Sida, 2001, pp. 17–54.

9. Kumar, Sunaina. “66% Women Electors Voted In This Election. How Did The Gender Gap In Voting Close?” IndiaSpend, 6 June 2024.

10. Kumar, Nandita, et al. “Social Networks, Mobility, and Political Participation.” World Development, vol. 122, 2019.

11. Observer Research Foundation. “Building on Friendships and Solidarity: How the Gender Gap in Voting Was Closed.” ORF, 20 Apr. 2024.

12. Patil, Pratibha Devisingh. “Speech by the President of India, Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil on the Occasion of International Women’s Day.” President of India, 8 Mar. 2012.

13. Press Information Bureau, Ministry of Finance. “‘Garib’ (Poor), ‘Mahilayen’ (Women), ‘Yuva’ (Youth) and ‘Annadata’ (Farmer) Are the Four Major Castes of Focus for the Government: Union Finance Minister.” PIB, 1 Feb. 2024.

14. Prillaman, Soledad Artiz. Strength in Numbers: How Women’s Groups Close India’s Political Gender Gap. Abdul Latif Jameel Poverty Action Lab (J-PAL), Oct. 2017.

15. PRS Legislative Research. “Profile of the 18th Lok Sabha.” PRS India, 7 June 2024.

16. Rai, Praveen. “Electoral Participation of Women in India: Key Determinants and Barriers.” Economic & Political Weekly, vol. 46, no. 3, 15 Jan. 2011, pp. 47–55.

17. Sen, Iman, and M. R. Sharan. “The Impact of Women’s Self Help Groups on Electoral Participation: Evidence from India.” Working paper, Apr. 2024.

18. UNDP India. “Systematic Voters’ Education and Electoral Participation (SVEEP) India: National Document 2009–2014.” UNDP, 10 Oct. 2014.

19. The Indian Express. “74 Women Elected to Lok Sabha, Lower than 2019.” 6 June 2024.

20. The Times of India. “Women Voters Clocked 65.8%, Men 65.6% in ’24 Lok Sabha Polls: Election Commission.” 27 Dec. 2024.