Lack Of Women Representation In Parliament Is Concerning: CEC Sushil Chandra

Chandra pointed out that the Constitution guarantees one-third reservation to women in local bodies, and at many grassroots levels women leaders have brought visible changes in their communities.

New Delhi: The Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra on Saturday spoke about the lack of representation of women in the Parliament despite the rise in the number of women voters, PTI reported. 

Expressing his concern over the time lost due to disruptions in Parliament he said that it doesn't bode well for democracy. While addressing an event here to give away Sansad Ratna awards, Chandra said the first Lok Sabha had 15 women MPs and the 17th Lok Sabha has 78.

"But the progress is still slow...True, Parliament has to be very very inclusive," he was quoted as saying by PTI.

According to the report, Chandra pointed out that the Constitution guarantees one-third reservation to women in local bodies, and it is noted that at many grassroots levels women leaders have brought visible changes in their communities and "have demonstrated their leadership qualities".

He stressed the need to maintain between lawmakers and people, was told by voters that after the Covid-19 pandemic triggered a ban on physical campaigning, some leaders came to their doorstep after a long gap.

On the issue of disruptions in parliamentary proceedings, Chandra said while heated arguments, debates and speeches are a barometer of a robust Parliament, frequent disruptions, walkouts and hunger strikes are not. The time lost due to disruptions has seen a dramatic increase over the years, with some sessions witnessing a complete "wash out". This does not augur well for a robust parliamentary democracy, he said reported PTI.

"Participation in Parliament, raising matters of critical importance by virtue of the Question Hour and the Zero Hour are established parliamentary practices.... This precious opportunity should not be wasted by theatrics or slogan-shouting or rushing to the well of the House," Chandra said, according to the report.

On participation of women in elections, he shared the data of the recently-held Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab and Manipur. In four of the five states -- Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh -- the women voter turnout exceeded the male voter turnout and it was nearly equal in Punjab, he pointed out.

The gender ratio has increased in all five states. In Uttar Pradesh alone, it has gone up by 29 points, Chandra said. Seeking to give an overview of the Indian electoral system, he said there were 17.3 crore voters in the country and the turnout was around 45.6 per cent when the first Lok Sabha polls were conducted in 1951.

During the 2019 parliamentary polls, the number of voters was around 91.2 crore and the voter turnout was the highest ever at 66.4 per cent.

"As of today, there are more than 95.3 crore voters, of whom 49.04 crores are men and 46.09 crores are women," Chandra said.

(With Agency Inputs)