In Thiruvananthapuram, March 26 The promise of greater political representation for women, amplified after the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act, appears distant in Kerala's April 9 assembly elections, where candidate lists reflect a familiar pattern of underrepresentation.
Despite women accounting for more than half of the electorate in the state, their presence in the electoral arena remains limited, highlighting a persistent imbalance between participation and representation.
The enthusiasm that followed the passage of the Nari Shakti Vandan Act in Parliament in 2023 had raised expectations among women leaders across different parties.
President Droupadi Murmu gave her assent to the Nari Shakti Vandan Bill in September 2023.
Although its implementation is scheduled for a later date, many had hoped that political parties would voluntarily increase women's representation in the current electoral cycle. However, the candidate lists of various parties suggest otherwise.
Across the state's 140 constituencies, the major political parties have fielded only a modest number of women candidates – CPI (M): 12, Congress: 9, BJP: 14, CPI: 5 – for the upcoming assembly polls.
Interestingly, the Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), a prominent ally in the opposition UDF, has given two seats to women, for the first time in its history.
Congress MLA and candidate in the April 9 assembly polls, P C Vishnunath, said the party leadership made sincere attempts to give more representation to women in the candidate list this time.
"In my personal opinion, capable women leaders should get electoral representation even without the support of any reservation or Act. But unfortunately, it is not happening every time as the leadership considers various factors, including winnability," he told
