Lok Sabha 2024: Women’s voting percentage 11% more than men’s in Bengal’s 3rd phase
In the recent Lok Sabha elections across four constituencies in Bengal—Malda (North), Malda (South), Murshidabad, and Jangipur—women turned out to vote in higher numbers than men by nearly 11% on average. Notably, each of these constituencies individually recorded a greater percentage of female voters.
The largest gender gap in voting patterns was observed in Jangipur, where women exceeded men by 13.8%, while the narrowest margin was in Murshidabad, with a 9% difference.
This phase marked a significant milestone as it was the first time that the gender gap in voter turnout exceeded double digits across several Lok Sabha constituencies in Bengal.
During the earlier phases, women showed higher turnout in four out of the six Lok Sabha seats: Alipurduar, Cooch Behar, Balurghat, and Raiganaj. Even in the Jalpaiguri LS seat, the turnout among women (83.4%) closely paralleled that of men (83.9%).
According to figures released by the Election Commission (EC), Bengal boasts a voter base of 7.5 crores, with 3.8 crores being male and 3.7 crores female. Data from January 2024, unveiled by the EC, indicated that for every 1,000 male voters in Bengal, there were 968 female voters, highlighting the near parity in the gender distribution of the electorate.
