How women voters are changing the political script across states, one at a time

Women outnumbered men by a wide margin of 3.6 lakh votes in 2016 Tamil Nadu Assemby polls. During Chhattisgarh elections, there was a 23 per cent surge in female turnout in 2013 compared to what was seen 2008.

There was a trend reversal of sorts in the 2016 assembly elections in Tamil Nadu. Women outnumbered men by a wide margin of 3.6 lakh votes, and the verdict came as a surprise, with incumbent AIADMK winning a successive term a first in the state in over three decades. Statistics reviewed by India Today Data Intelligence Unit (DIU) shows in terms of casting votes, women outnumbered men in 136 of the 232 seats that went to polls. The AIADMK had a better strike rate in these constituencies. What this indicates is that greater participation of women in the electoral process gave Tamil Nadu a new political script to work with and the J Jayalalithaa-led AIADMK proved to be the beneficiary in the bargain.