Women voters outnumber men in state poll show: ECI

KOLKATA: According to a data released by the Election Commission of India (ECI), the percentage of women voters who casted their franchise in the last state Assembly polls was more than the percentage of male electorates who had casted their votes, suggesting that women played a crucial role in bringing back Trinamool Congress to power in the state with a thumping majority.

As per the EC data, while 81.7 per cent women voters had casted their franchise, the percentage stood at 81.4 for their male counterparts. The data cites that out of 3.5 crore women voters, 2.9 crore had casted their votes. On the contrary, 3 crore had casted their franchise out of a total of 3.7 crore male voters.

Earlier, Trinamool Congress (TMC) supremo, Mamata Banerjee, had thanked the women folk for their support to the party. The slogan given by TMC 'Bangala Nijer Meyeke Chae' (Bengal wants its own daughter) went well with the people, particularly among the women voters.

The Swasthya Sathi card, which was issued in the name of the head of the woman in the family, had turned out to be the trump card in the 2021 Assembly election. Also, the promise made by Mamata Banerjee to give Rs 500 to the head of the women family member of the general caste and Rs 1000 to those in the SC and ST category in the election manifesto played a major role to woo the women voters, political experts said.

The schemes like Kanyashree and Rupashree had ensured women empowerment in the state. Sabuj Sathi was successful in bringing down the number of dropouts, especially girls, in schools.

"It seems women did not like the tone in which Narendra Modi had addressed Mamata Banerjee during his campaign rallies in the state," political analysts opined.

The ECI data also states that of the women and men candidates, who had fought the election, 16.7 per cent women and 13.4 per cent men had won.

The experts said women in rural Bengal had played a major role in the 2021 Assembly election.