Women Oriented Political Parties on The Rise in India

BENGALURU: Women empowerment in India has now reached another level. The data drawn from 15 years of analysis on political parties in India shows that at least 14 parties with an inclination to women friendly issues have emerged across various parts of the nation.

ET reports that five of these political parties have contested in the recent general elections or the state assembly elections. Women oriented parties in India have been gaining traction in India despite the low success rate. The initiative to set up a political party concerning women is a niche trend in politics.

However, since the media coverage for such emerging political parties are subtle, their ideas on women’s rights are uncertain. Based on the names we can assume some of the obvious objectives like women empowerment, self-respect and equal pay.  Larger observation shows that most of these parties strive towards achieving descriptive representation as their chief agenda.

The data given by the statistical reports Election Commission of India show that most of these parties haven’t been able to cross the 1 percent threshold of vote share. Yet the parties have been building on the concept and keep the spirits of women high. For instance United Women Front (UWF) which planned to field candidates for 72 seats ended up fielding just one.

ECI shows that percentage of women in Indian Parliament is at 11 pct which is much below the international average of 22 pct. India ranks at a low 111^th rank among 145 nations in the world.

Amrita Basu, Professor at Amherst College observes that women in India have played a visible role at the higher echelons of power but have been under represented in the political parties. Yet the rise of such women inclined political parties, however small, is encouraging.

Also Read: 10 Incredible Things Innovated By Women
Govt Mulls Appointment Of New Governors