NEW DELHI, May 17:
The 16th Lok Sabha will have a record number of 61 women leaders as compared to 59 women MPs elected during the previous General Elections.
However, the figure is a far cry from the 33 per cent mark that Women’s Reservation Bill seeks to implement. The Bill is pending in Lok Sabha after being passed in the Upper House of Parliament.
The number was lowest at 19 in 1977 elections.
Women leaders account for just 11 per cent of the 543 parliamentarians, while 89 per cent of seats are being represented by men.
“Of the 543 MPs elected, 61 are women. This is the highest number of women MPs elected to the Lok Sabha in the history of the country, although by a small margin,” according to a report by PRS Legislative Research.
Apart from Sonia Gandhi, Hema Malini and Maneka Gandhi, other prominent women elected to the 16th Lok Sabha include Kirron Kher, Poonam Mahajan, Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti, Dimple Yadav, Moon moon sen and Meenakshi Lekhi.
Out of 543 MPs, 47 per cent (253) are above the age of 55, while in the 15th Lok Sabha, the percentage of MPs above the age of 55 was 43 per cent.
Interestingly, the Lok Sabha has been getting older every election since independence. Only 71 MPs have been elected to the Lok Sabha in this election who happen to be under the age of 40. (PTI)
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