457 candidates, only 54 women: Kerala’s worrying ‘missing women’ in politics
Source: New Indian Express
THRISSUR: Rani Gouri Lakshmi Bai, Dr Mary Punnen Lukose, Ammu Swaminathan, Kuttimalu Amma, Accamma Cherian, Dakshayani Velayudhan, O Aisha Beevi, K R Gouri Amma…. These are some women luminaries who shaped Kerala’s socio-political trajectory.
Kerala has long been celebrated as a land of strong women, particularly in social reform and education. Yet, when it comes to politics and power, women remain underrepresented. Even within intra-party hierarchies.
Notably, the Women’s Reservation Bill, mandating 33% representation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, is expected to come into force by 2029. This makes the upcoming election in Kerala noteworthy. The scene, however, is dismal.
Women make up only 10.5 % of the candidates — 54 women and one transgender person of 457 across 140 constituencies.
In the 2021–2026 assembly, only 12 of the 140 MLAs were women. In 2016–2021, the number was eight. A social collective for equal representation, Thulya Prathinidhya Prasthanam (TPP), has for years been vocal about the need to address this imbalance.
“We have been boasting about Kerala as a progressive state. But it is nowhere near when it comes to women’s representation,” said TPP convener K M Rema. “This time, the CPI has shown improvement with four women candidates in the 25 constituencies where it is contesting. The IUML has also made some progress by fielding two women, one up from last time. That’s it.”
THRISSUR: Rani Gouri Lakshmi Bai, Dr Mary Punnen Lukose, Ammu Swaminathan, Kuttimalu Amma, Accamma Cherian, Dakshayani Velayudhan, O Aisha Beevi, K R Gouri Amma…. These are some women luminaries who shaped Kerala’s socio-political trajectory.
Kerala has long been celebrated as a land of strong women, particularly in social reform and education. Yet, when it comes to politics and power, women remain underrepresented. Even within intra-party hierarchies.
Notably, the Women’s Reservation Bill, mandating 33% representation for women in Parliament and state assemblies, is expected to come into force by 2029. This makes the upcoming election in Kerala noteworthy. The scene, however, is dismal.
Women make up only 10.5 % of the candidates — 54 women and one transgender person of 457 across 140 constituencies.
In the 2021–2026 assembly, only 12 of the 140 MLAs were women. In 2016–2021, the number was eight. A social collective for equal representation, Thulya Prathinidhya Prasthanam (TPP), has for years been vocal about the need to address this imbalance.
“We have been boasting about Kerala as a progressive state. But it is nowhere near when it comes to women’s representation,” said TPP convener K M Rema. “This time, the CPI has shown improvement with four women candidates in the 25 constituencies where it is contesting. The IUML has also made some progress by fielding two women, one up from last time. That’s it.”