In 18th Lok Sabha of India, women represent a critical but slowly growing segment of nation’s legislative body. As of the 2024 general elections, which established current house, representation of women saw a statistical dip compared to previous term, despite an overall increase in number of women contesting polls.
Statistics of 18th Lok Sabha
Current Lok Sabha consists of 74 female members out of 543 total seats. This accounts for approximately 13.6% of house.
To put this into perspective, the 17th Lok Sabha (2019) had 78 women (14.4%), which remains the historical high for female representation in the lower house. While the 18th Lok Sabha has four fewer women than its predecessor, it remains significantly higher than the levels seen in the 1950s, where only 22 women were elected to the First Lok Sabha.
Highlights
| Category | 18th Lok Sabha (Current) | 17th Lok Sabha (2019) |
| Total Women Elected | 74 | 78 |
| Percentage of House | ~13.6% | ~14.4% |
| Total Women Contestants | 797 | 726 |
| Winning Strike Rate | ~9.3% | ~10.7% |
Party-Wise and State-Wise Data
Political parties and states show varying levels of commitment to female representation.
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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has highest number of women MPs with 31 members, followed byIndian National Congress (INC) with 13 andAll India Trinamool Congress (AITC) with 11.
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Notably, Trinamool Congress has one of highest proportions of women within its own ranks, with over 37% of its elected MPs being women.
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West Bengal sends maximum number of women MPs (11), followed by Uttar Pradesh and Maharashtra with 7 each.
The Path to 33%: Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam
A major turning point for future of Lok Sabha is Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam (106th Constitutional Amendment Act), passed in 2023.
Key Fact: This law mandates 33% reservation for women in Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies.
However, this reservation has not yet been implemented for current 18th Lok Sabha. It is scheduled to take effect after next delimitation exercise, which will follow first census conducted after 2026. Once implemented, number of women in Lok Sabha is expected to rise from current 74 to at least 181 members.
Challenges and Progress
Despite high winnability of female candidates (who often win at higher rates than men relative to number of contestants), primary barrier remains ticket distribution. Women constituted less than 10% of the total candidates in 2024 elections.
Efforts to move beyond symbolic representation are ongoing, as seen by 14.5 lakh women currently serving in Panchayati Raj Institutions (local governance), where 50% reservation is already active in many states.