The ADR has recommended that to bridge the gap between grassroots representation and Parliament, political parties and civil society must actively implement gender-sensitization programs to shatter cultural stereotypes and ensure equal access to governance.

Despite the historic introduction of the Women’s Reservation Bill in 2023, a new joint report by the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW) reveals a stark reality: India’s political parties are still failing to field female candidates.

Releasing an analysis of 39,789 candidates across the 2024 Lok Sabha and subsequent State Assembly elections by ADR shows that women remain severely underrepresented. While India boasts 662.9 million female voters (accounting for nearly 49% of the population), women make up just 14% of the current Parliament. Globally, India ranks a low 151 out of 185 countries for women’s representation in Parliament, according to the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).

The Numbers:

2024 Lok Sabha Elections

• Total Candidates Analyzed: 8,360
• Women Candidates: Only 800 (9.6%)
• The “Zero” Zones: 152 out of 543 constituencies (28%) did not feature a single female candidate.

State & UT Assembly Elections (20 States/UTs)

• Total Candidates Analyzed: 31,429
• Women Candidates: 3,273 (10.2%)
• Top Performing States: * Odisha (2024): 13.9% women candidates
  • Delhi (2025): 13.7% women candidates
  • Puducherry (2026): 13.6% women candidates

None of India’s major national parties met the benchmark of reserving one-third (33%) of their tickets for women during the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.

• BJP & INC: Both major national parties lagged behind, fielding women in the narrow range of 13% to 16%.
• The Indian National Congress only met the 33% threshold in a single state—the Sikkim Assembly Election.

In contrast, several regional and state parties aggressively championed female representation:

Why is the gap between female voter turnout and female political representation so vast? The report highlights deep-seated structural and institutional barriers:

• The Wealth Barrier: In the 2024 General Election, a female candidate with assets under INR 10 million had just a 1.49% chance of winning. Independent female candidates suffered the most—none of the 279 independent women who ran managed to secure a win.
• The “Safe Seat” Dynasty: Highly centralized and non-transparent ticket distribution means tickets are overwhelmingly given to women from established political families, dominant castes, or affluent backgrounds—often placed in “safe seats” previously held by male relatives.
• Gatekeeping: Male-dominated party structures, patriarchal norms, caregiving expectations, and the persistent institutional bias that women are “less electable” continue to block entry.

The Silver Lining

While the current numbers are low, historical data shows a massive surge in women’s willingness to participate in the democratic process:

• Voter Turnout: Female voter turnout soared from 46.6% in 1962 to 65.8% in 2024.
• Candidate Growth: In 1957, only 45 women contested the Lok Sabha elections. By 2024, that number skyrocketed to 800.
• Parliamentary Growth: Women held just 5% of Lok Sabha seats in 1951, compared to 13.6% in 2024.
• Local Success: The real success story remains at the grassroots level. Thanks to local quotas, women held 44% of all local self-government seats in 2022, totalling over 1.37 million representatives.