Guwahati: Assam’s women voters not only turned out in large numbers on Thursday but also outnumbered men by nearly 1.4 lakh, helping push the state’s turnout to an all-time high of 85.9%.According to ED data, women recorded a participation rate of 86.5%, more than a point higher than men at 85.3%. This is also the highest ever women participation in the state.
In the voters’ list used for this election, women numbered just about 6,000 fewer than men.Historical data on voter turnout in both Lok Sabha and assembly elections since 1962 show that women voters in Assam have steadily rewritten the state’s democratic script — from trailing men by double digits in the 1960s to achieving near parity by the 1980s. Each decade brought them closer, until the 2000s when they stood shoulder to shoulder.The turnaround coincided with BJP’s growing influence in the state. From trailing men by about one percentage point in the 2014 Lok Sabha election, women overtook them in the 2016 assembly polls and have maintained the lead since.In the 2019 Lok Sabha election, men and women voted at the same rate — 81%. In the 2021 assembly elections, women’s participation rose to 82%, again a point higher than men. The trend continued in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, with women once more ahead.Political observers say that the increasing number of women-centric welfare schemes under the two BJP-led govts has encouraged more women to visit polling booths.The BJP govts have placed women — from school-going girls to rural entrepreneurs — at the centre of their empowerment narrative, rolling out flagship schemes combining direct financial support with long-term capacity building.The Orunodoi scheme reaches 40 lakh women from economically vulnerable families, transferring Rs 1,250 every month, with a poll promise to raise it to Rs 3,000.Complementing this, the Mukhya Mantri Mahila Udyamita Abhiyaan (MMUA) is the largest self-employment scheme ever undertaken in Assam, covering 30 lakh rural and two lakh urban women SHG members, each member receiving seed capital of Rs 10,000. The second phase promises Rs 25,000 assistance and aims to cover more than 40 lakh women.Education support flows through Mukhya Mantrir Nijut Moina, offering Rs 1,250 per month to first-year undergraduates and Rs 2,500 to postgraduates and BEd students for 10 months, covering 4.3 lakh girls. The Chief Minister’s Jibon Prerana adds a one-time Rs 25,000 grant for both girl and boy graduates of 2025 from govt universities and colleges.Entrepreneurship and self-reliance are reinforced by the Chief Minister’s Atmanirbhar Asom Abhijan (CMAAA), targeting micro-entrepreneurs, including women. Tea garden workers — the backbone of Assam’s economy — have received one-time assistance of Rs 5,000 each for 6.8 lakh workers, while 1.16 lakh pregnant tea garden women have benefitted from Rs 15,000 under the Wage Compensation Scheme.
