Record 78 women MPs

New Delhi, May 24

The highest-ever number of women have been elected in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls.

Of 542 MPs who will take oath as members of the lower house, 78 are women with UP and Bengal leading at 11 each.

A total of 724 women candidates contested from across the country with Congress fielding the maximum women at 54, followed by BJP at 53. With over 14 per cent female MPs, the 17th LS will have the highest number of women candidates since 1952. In 16th LS, 64 women had won, while 52 women were elected to the 15th LS.

A Bill for 33 per cent representation for women in legislatures is pending in Parliament. As many as 27 out of 41 sitting women MPs, including Sonia Gandhi, Hema Malini and Kirron Kher, retained their seats in Lok Sabha polls, but the likes of Smriti Irani and Pragya Thakur stole the show with their victories over their more renowned rivals. — PTI