Bihar Assembly elections: Why women voters' turnout matters

India Today

3 days ago

Women are once again at the centre of Bihar's electoral landscape as Assembly elections approach. The Nitish Kumar government recently announced a 35 per cent reservation for women in state government jobs, yet another in a series of women-centric policies by the Janata Dal (United) leader, who cultivated a loyal base of female voters through a slew of welfare measures.For political parties strategising for 2025, one trend is impossible to ignore: women are turning out in large numbers to vote. This is no longer a statistical anomaly. It has been a recurring theme. In the 2020 Assembly elections, women outvoted men in 167 of the 243 constituencies, most of them in northern Bihar. And the region leaned heavily towards the National Democratic Alliance.advertisementIn the 2020 polls, women's turnout stood at 60 per cent, compared to 54 per cent for men. In 166 constituencies, women outnumbered male voters. The widest gender turnout gap was recorded in Baisi (Purnea district), where women's turnout was 22 percentage points higher than men's. Kusheshwar Asthan followed closely with a 21-percentage-point gap in favour of women. Both constituencies were won by the NDA.
In the 2020 Assembly elections, women outvoted men in 167 of the 243 constituencies, most of them in northern Bihar. And the region leaned heavily towards the National Democratic Alliance.The trend was even more pronounced in 2015, when women outvoted men in 202 constituencies. Once again, northern Bihar led in female voter turnout.The shift began in 2010, a turning point in Bihar's gender voting dynamics. That year, women's voter turnout surpassed men's in 162 constituencies. It was the first time that overall female turnout exceeded male turnout.In Madhubani, which has 10 assembly constituencies, eight went to the NDA in the 2020 Assembly elections. All five seats in the Supaul district were won by the NDA. In Sitamarhi, the NDA secured six of eight seats, while in Darbhanga, it claimed nine out of ten in the last elections.For decades, men dominated Bihar's voter turnout. In the 1962 Assembly elections, 55 per cent of men voted, compared to just 32 per cent of women. This gender gap persisted until 2000. By February 2005, it had begun to close: 50 per cent of men and 43 per cent of women cast ballots in the first of the two Assembly elections held that year.Then came 2010, a historic turning point: 54 per cent of women voted, surpassing the 51 per cent turnout among men for the first time. In 2015, the gap widened further, with 60 per cent of women voting compared to just 50 per cent of men.Since 1962, women's turnout has risen by 28 percentage points, effectively reversing the gender gap at the ballot box and establishing women as one of the most powerful voting blocs in Bihar today.(With inputs from Smriti Thakur)- EndsTune InMust Watch