StatsGuru: Women's fair political representation still a far cry

Parliament rejects 33% women's reservation Bill, as data shows persistently low representation of women in legislatures despite gains at grassroots levels

The Constitution (131st amendment) Bill to guarantee a 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state Assemblies was defeated in Parliament on Friday. Commonly known as the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, the Bill anchored delimitation on the basis of the 2011 Census data, sidestepping the need for a fresh Census, with implementation targeted for 2029. Women's representation in Parliament and state Assemblies has barely changed since Independence.

 

Women's political representation thrives at the grassroots but loses ground at every higher rung of power. 

 

Women hold barely one in 10 elected seats — a figure mirroring their marginal share in party candidate lists. 

 

The Union Cabinet has seen more women since 2012, but the gains have proved difficult to sustain. 

 

Over seven decades, women have occupied just 3-15 per cent of Lok Sabha seats. The 18th Lok Sabha has 74 women members, marginally fewer than the 78 elected in 2019. 

 

Across all five poll-bound states and Union territories in 2026, women have been a small fraction of party nominees. 

 

Among BRICS nations, India has the lowest share of women in Parliament — 13.79 per cent in 2025, barely half the global average of 27.25 per cent.