Women ratio in Parliament lesser than desired: CEC

Sushil Chandra

Stating that the first Lok Sabha had 15 women MPs while the 17th Lok Sabha had 78, Chief Election Commissioner, Sushil Chandra on Saturday rued the fact that the participation of women in Parliament is much less than desired.

"A good legislature is truly and meaningfully ‘representative'. It must include diverse voices, especially of those who were marginalised earlier. This implies greater presence and participation by women in Parliament," Chandra said at an event organised to present the Sansad Ratna 2022 awards.

"As per data compiled by the Inter Parliamentary Union, for the first time, in 2021, the global average for women in Parliament exceeded 25 per cent. The progress is painstakingly slow and at this rate it will take more than 50 years to achieve gender parity," he said.

Pointing out that the Constitution guarantees 1/3rd reservation for women in the local bodies, the CEC said, "It is heartening to note that so many grassroots women leaders have demonstrated their leadership and brought about visible change in their communities."

Rajya Sabha MP from Maharashtra, Fauzia Tahseen Ahmed Khan of NCP, who won the ‘Rajya Sabha - Excellence Award - Sitting MPs - Women MP' award at the event, expressed deep regret that the percentage of women MPs in India has increased to barely 14 per cent since independence.

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