Chadha backs women's political participation

BJP MP Raghav Chadha highlighted the growing role of women in Indian politics and governance while representing India at the 12th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Speaking at a session on Ensuring Political Rights for Women, Chadha said women should not only benefit from government policies but should also have a greater role as voters, entrepreneurs, elected representatives and decision-makers.

He said India’s approach has increasingly shifted from women’s development to women-led development. Chadha stressed that political empowerment should go beyond representation and include real authority and decision-making power.

Highlighting women’s participation in elections, Chadha said more than 476 million women were registered as voters in the 2024 Lok Sabha election. He noted that women’s voter turnout was around 67%, slightly higher than the turnout among men. According to him, this marked the second consecutive general election in which women participated at a higher rate than men.

Chadha also pointed to women’s representation in grassroots governance. He said around 1.45 million women are elected representatives in Panchayati Raj institutions across India, accounting for approximately 46% of representatives at that level. He further noted that 21 states have provided 50% reservation for women in panchayats, going beyond the constitutional minimum.

He also referred to the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, or Women’s Reservation Act, which provides a constitutional framework for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and state legislative assemblies.

Chadha said the objective of such measures should not be limited to increasing the number of women in elected bodies but should ensure that women have a meaningful role in shaping policies and taking decisions.

During the conference, the BJP MP also spoke about India’s digital inclusion model and highlighted the growing use of the Unified Payments Interface (UPI). He referred to the integration of UPI with Uzbekistan’s UZQR system, which is expected to make digital payments easier for Indian travellers visiting the country.

The two-day IPU conference was held on September 4 and 5 and brought together young parliamentarians from different countries. Discussions focused on human rights, digital governance, online safety, misinformation, climate change, unemployment and political violence.