Reality check on India's politics: Only 9% women MLAs and MPs across nation

ADR and NEW's empirical study of MPs and MLAs reveals how skewed the gender representation is in the states and parties

While politicians across India are keen to talk about women empowerment and the political legacies of India’s female politicians like Indira Gandhi, Sushma Swaraj or Nirmala Sitharaman, these women remain largely anomalies in the political landscape. The fact remains - women are underrepresented in state and national decision-making bodies. According to a report by the Association of Democratic Reforms (ADR) and National Election Watch (NEW), the state of representation of women in the country’s decision-making process continues to be dismal, with only 9% women MLAs and MPs across the country in 2019.

Party-wise political representation of women in India

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