Haryana’s ‘missing’ female voters

Bhartesh Singh Thakur
Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, March 16

The gender ratio of enrolled voters in Haryana is lower than the state’s average, which is already highly skewed in favour of men — an aberration the state has been trying hard to correct.

The state has a total of 1.74 crore electors, as on January 31. Of these, 93.97 lakh are male and 80.51 lakh female voters. 

The gender ratio of enrolled voters is 856 (that is 856 female voters for every 1,000 male voters), while in the 2011 Census the state’s ratio stood at 879, implying a 23 point deficit in the gender ratio of voters in these elections.

The state government has been claiming its gender ratio has improved since 2011. If the claims are true, the gender ratio of voters will be even poorer. Going by the overall ratio of 879 and factoring in 93.97 lakh as the total male voters in the state, there are at least 2.08 lakh fewer women voters this time.

Joint Chief Electoral Officer Dr Inder Jeet Singh says the gender ratio of voters has in fact improved since 2014, when it was 847. “The lower gender ratio could be because of two reasons. Women usually get enrolled as voters after marriage. Also, a big area of the state falls in the National Capital Region  with a high migrant population, which likes to vote at their native places.”

When it comes to women contestants, their ratio in the state has always been lower. 

Only 11 women candidates (4.8%) out of 230 were in the fray in the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, but none could win. The voting percentage of women was also lower than males by over 3%.

In the 2009 polls, there were 14 women candidates (6.7 %) out of 210, and only two were elected. Then too, the voting percentage of women was lesser by 3% than males.

In the 2004 parliamentary polls, eight female candidates (5%) out of 160 were in the fray and only one got elected. Women’s voting percentage was again 5% lesser than men.

“Voting percentage and number of women candidates have always been lower in the state. They are not becoming leaders. There should be a special campaign to enrol them,” says Jagmati Sangwan, state president of All India Democratic Women’s Association.