With more consciousness about the significance of their votes, women voters have attained substantial power today. Women are playing a decisive role in forming the government. Political parties too are giving prominence to female voters through their policies and parties’ election manifestos.The State Bank of India report released on December 14, 2023, found that the women voters’ percentage is on the rise, potentially reaching nearly half (49%) of the total electorate by 2024. This trend is expected to continue, with women voters significantly outnumbering men in elections beyond 2029.In the Karnataka elections, initiatives such as cash handouts to female heads of households and free bus rides for women helped tilt the balance in support of the Congress party. Similarly, the BJP is emphasizing its contribution to passing the Women's Reservation Bill.
According to the recently released voter data of March 2024, 17 of 28 LS Constituencies including backward districts like Raichur and Bagalkot showed more female voters than men. With the improved ratio, the data revealed one woman voter for every man. As per the data, there are 999 females per 1000 in Karnataka and young female voters are now 858. Manoj Kumar Meena, Chief Electoral Officer for Karnataka, said there has been a constant improvement in the gender ratio that has gone up from 958 (per 1,000 males) in the 2013 Assembly elections to 997 in the final draft released this year in January 2024. Of these 17 constituencies, Udupi-Chikmagalur has 1062 women voters; Dakshin Kannada has 1049; Mysore has 1037, Shimoga with 1030 female voters and Mandya has 1029 female voters. The Bengaluru cluster has the worst figures. Bangalore Central with 938 and South with 939 per 1000 males have the least women voters. While Bangalore North has 947 female voters is tied with Bidar and Bangalore Rural has 966 female voters. Notably, women are expected to outnumber men in electoral participation.