Hyderabad: Telangana’s electoral politics reflects a striking paradox, with more women entering electoral contests but their presence in positions of power remaining limited.Data from the Association for Democratic Reforms (ADR) shows that women continue to be a small minority in legislatures across India, and Telangana mirrors this trend.Across the country, ADR analysed 51,708 candidates who contested Lok Sabha and assembly elections. Of them, 5,095, about 10%, were women, while the remaining 90% were men.A similar pattern emerged in the 2023 Telangana assembly elections. Of the 2,290 candidates who contested across 119 constituencies, 2,067 (90%) were men and 222 (about 10%) were women, closely matching the national average. However, some states have seen relatively better participation by women. Odisha and Delhi recorded around 14% women candidates, while Chhattisgarh had about 13%, indicating Telangana still trails these states.Despite the overall low numbers, Nampally constituency in Hyderabad stood out with eight women candidates, placing it among constituencies with the highest female participation in assembly elections nationwide. Yet the gender gap remains stark. Across India, about 41% of assembly constituencies had no women candidates at all.Representation in legislatures remains even lower. In the 119-member Telangana assembly, only 10 MLAs are women, accounting for about 8%, while 109 MLAs (92%) are men. This is slightly below the national average of around 10% women MLAs, with 390 women among 4,123 MLAs across India.Several states have far higher numbers of women legislators. Uttar Pradesh has 47 women MLAs (11.7%), followed by West Bengal with 40 (13.6%), Bihar with 29 (11.9%) and Madhya Pradesh with 27 (11.7%), highlighting Telangana’s relatively lower representation.In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, women made up 800 of the 8,360 candidates nationwide (9.6%). In Telangana, Secunderabad and Warangal constituencies recorded eight women candidates each, placing them among the constituencies with the highest female participation in the country. However, across India, 152 parliamentary constituencies (28%) had no women candidates.Women candidates, however, often perform competitively. In the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, 74 of the 800 women candidates won seats, giving them a success rate of about 9%, compared with 6% among male candidates. Even so, women remain underrepresented, with only 74 MPs (14%) in the 543-member Lok Sabha.Nationally, women constitute nearly 49% of India’s population and about 66.3 million voters. Yet their representation in legislatures remains far below this share. Globally, India ranks 151st among 185 countries in terms of women’s representation in Parliament, underscoring the scale of the gender gap.For Telangana, the data presents a mixed picture. While the share of women candidates in assembly elections matches the national average, their representation in the legislature remains lower. At the same time, constituencies such as Nampally, Secunderabad and Warangal indicate that more women are entering electoral contests, signalling gradual, though uneven, progress.GFXTelangana Assembly 2023Total candidates: 2,290Women candidates: 222 (10%)Men candidates: 2,067 (90%)Total seats: 119Women MLAs: 10 (8%)National average women MLAs: 9%Constituencies with High Women ParticipationNampally (Hyderabad) – 8 women candidatesTelangana Lok Sabha ConstituenciesSecunderabad – 8 women candidates (contested)Warangal – 8 women candidates (contested)
