11% more women got inked than men in Bengal's phase 3
Times of India | 13 May 2024
KOLKATA: Women outnumbered men by nearly 11% overall across the four Lok Sabha constituencies in Bengal that saw elections on May 7 - Malda (North), Malda (South), Murshidabad and Jangipur - with each of the four seats individually recording a higher percentage of women turning up to vote.
The highest gender gap in voting pattern was seen in Jangipur, where 13.8% more women voted then men, and the lowest in Murshidabad, where the figure was 9%.The phase 3 polls also marked the first time that the gender gap exceeded double digits across several Lok Sabha constituencies.
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Bengal has 7.5 crore voters, of whom 3.8 crore are male and 3.7 crore female, according to EC figures. The data, released in Jan 2024 by EC, had shown that for every 1,000 male voters in Bengal, there were 968 female voters.
Sociologist Prasanta Roy said there could be several factors for this. "Women are politically more conscious. The financial assistance (state doles) can inspire more women to take part in the poll process. The administrative control to curb violence on poll day also explains why more women are stepping out to vote. However, some other things, like demographic factors and involvement of local leadership may also have led to this," he said.
Political analyst Pradipta Mukherjee directly linked this to Bengal's social schemes targeted at women, such as Lakshmir Bhandar and Kanyashree. "These schemes have significantly influenced women's involvement in the electoral process. Women are focusing on local issues, rather than political controversies, including the Sandeshkhali incident, which has not directly impacted vote-sharing patterns. Furthermore, the use of the communal card has had a considerable impact on rural women, swaying their voting decisions. On the other hand, the participation of migrant labourers is remarkably low this time."
Trinamool Congress’s Rajya Sabha chief whip Sukhendu Sekhar Ray said, “Bengal govt has empowered women through major economic policies and schemes. Several of these have been replicated in the country and acclaimed worldwide. The chief minister has ensured more women’s participation in politics as well. Women have trusted her and voted for Trinamool across Bengal.”
Bengal BJP spokesperson and Rajya Sabha MP Samik Bhattacharya said, “Bengal women decided the day they saw a huge amount of cash recovered from former minister Partha Chatterjee’s girlfriend’s house, while job-seekers were fighting legal battles to secure their rights.”
“Moreover, this time Trinamool couldn’t spend much to make sure migrant labourers returned. They are quite reluctant to return and take part in the poll process,” he added.