Image of Indian Parliament

What is the percentage of women in India’s legislative assembly?

Even though they account for 50% of the country’s population, women are constantly underrepresented in government. Out of the 540 seats in the Lok Sabha, only 81 of them (14.4%) are currently occupied by women.

eshna benegal 30 Jul 22

Out of the 540 seats in the Lok Sabha, only 81 of them (14.4%) are currently occupied by women. This is the highest number of women to be elected in the Lok Sabha in the history of independent India.

Among the state legislatures, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal and Jharkhand have the highest number of women legislators. However, this is abysmally low in comparison to the rest of the world. India ranks 148 out of 198 countries in the number of female representatives in parliament.

Even though they account for 50% of the country’s population, women are constantly underrepresented in government. The Women Reservation Bill was introduced in parliament in 2008 to amend this in light of fair representation. The bill seeks to reserve 33% of seats for women in the Lok Sabha and all State Legislative Assemblies. First introduced on 9 March 2010 and remains pending in the Lok Sabha.

Related Articles

Who is KR Gouri?
Behind the scenes from The Knife

Kalathilparambil Raman Gouri Amma was the first woman to be a minister in Kerala’s state cabinet, and one of the longest serving political leaders in Kerala politics.

30 Jul 22

What's the difference between CPI and CPI(M)?
Behind the scenes from The Knife

The Communist Party of India (CPI) split into the Communist Party of India (Marxist) and the CPI on 7 November 1964. The CPI is said to believe in the Soviet form of communism while the CPI(M) follow the Chinese form of communism.

30 Jul 22

What was the Punnapra-Vayalar revolt?
Behind the scenes from The Knife

The Punnapra-Valayar revolt was a communist uprising that took place in October 1946 led by the Communist Party of India (CPI) against C.P Ramaswamy Iyer, the Dewan of Travancore. The revolt is named after the two places in which it took place; beginning in Punnapra and ending in Vayalar.

30 Jul 22