Haryana

• 23 Sep 2024

Women in Haryana Assembly

Why in News?

Recently, the upcoming Haryana Assembly elections highlighted the persistent gender disparity in political representation, reflecting the state's historical gender imbalance.

Key Points

• Women in Haryana Politics: 
  • Since Haryana's formation in 1966, only 87 women have been elected to the Assembly. 
  • The state has never had a female chief minister. 
  • Haryana’s gender ratio remains skewed at 916 females per 1,000 males (2023). 
  • Since 2000, 47 women legislators have been elected in Haryana. 
  • In 2014, 13 women won seats, the highest number ever. This dropped to 9 in 2019. 
• 33% Reservation for Women: The Bill granting reservation to women in Parliament and assemblies, passed recently, will take effect from 2029. 
• Notable Women Contesting in 2024: 
  • Arti Singh Rao : Daughter of Union Minister Rao Inderjit Singh, contesting from Ateli. 
  • Shruti Chaudhary: Granddaughter of former CM Bansi Lal, contesting from Tosham. 
  • Geeta Bhukkal : Four-time MLA and former education minister. 
  • Vinesh Phogat : Wrestling icon, contesting from Julana. 
  • Savitri Jindal: Asia’s richest woman, contesting as an Independent from Hisar. 
  • Chitra Sarwara: Contesting independently from Ambala Cantonment after being denied a Congress ticket.

Women's Reservation Act, 2023

• The Constitution (106th Amendment) Act, 2023, reserves one-third of all seats for women in Lok Sabha, State legislative assemblies, and the Legislative Assembly of the National Capital Territory of Delhi, including those reserved for SCs and STs. 
• The reservation will be effective after the publication of the census conducted following the Act’s commencement and endures for a 15-year period, with potential extension determined by parliamentary action. 
• The rotation of seats allocated for women will be governed by parliamentary legislation after each delimitation process. 
  • Currently, around 15% of the total members of the 17th Lok Sabha (2019-2024) are women while in state legislative assemblies, women on average constitute 9% of the total members.