Women Representation in Lok Sabha

The 17^th Lok Sabha will write a new history by having the highest percentage of women MPs since Independence.

Women Strength in 17^th Lok Sabha

• 78 women MP’s will be part of the 17th Lok Sabha.
• The proportion of women MPs in 17^th Lok Sabha stands at 14 per cent.
• The percentage of women MPs in the outgoing Lok Sabha stood at 11 per
• Uttar Pradesh and West Bengal have the maximum number of women MPs at 11.
• Odisha has sent 7 women MPs to Lok Sabha. Chandrani Murmu, MP from Keonjhar Lok Sabha seat is the youngest woman member in the Lok Sabha’s history.
• One-third of the 78 women MPs in the 17th Lok Sabha are MPs who have retained their seats.

The percentage of woman MPs in the Lok Sabha has shown a slow but steady increase over the years. The very first Lok Sabha constituted in 1952 had merely 5 per cent i.e. 24 women were elected in a total of 489 parliamentary seats.

But India is still far behind the global average of 24 per cent or even South Asian average of 18 per cent when it comes to women’s representation in parliament.