West Bengal may be witnessing a large female voter turnout this general election, but they are unlikely to get anything substantial in return because there is little discussion in political debates regarding their empowerment, according to prominent women academics and activists in the State.
There has been a marked increase in female voters over the years in West Bengal, currently at 968 women voters per 1,000 men, which is higher than the overall India figures of 948 female voters per 1,000 males. The activists pointed out that in all three phases of the election in the State, particularly in the third phase, there were several constituencies where female voters actually outnumbered male voters: Murshidabad, Cooch Behar, Jalpaiguri, Malda, and Jangipur. However, in spite of their strong participation in the democratic process, they remain far from strengthened themselves.
