Prior to International Women’s Day, Prime Minister Narendra Modi conducted a unique campaign event in West Bengal, addressing an audience composed solely of women as part of his strategy for India’s national election.

Modi asserted that female voters were his defense against criticism of his administration’s decade-long governance. This statement aligns with Modi's and his government's focused effort to connect with women, who make up nearly half of the nation's population.

Through initiatives such as the distribution of cooking gas and assertions of enhanced safety measures, Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has branded itself as a protector of women’s interests. Despite this, criticisms suggest that many initiatives are more rhetorical than substantial.

Surveys conducted before India's election indicated that the BJP enjoyed greater support among women than men, contrasting with support for the opposition.

Following the recent electoral results, where the BJP required coalition partners due to not securing a majority, it has become evident how women voted during the 2024 election. Additionally, there has been a decline in the number of elected women representatives in the new parliament.

Al Jazeera examines the BJP’s strategies to appeal to women, the performance of its female candidates, women’s voting patterns, and the representation status in the new parliament.

What are some of the BJP’s primary appeals to women?

• LPG cylinder distribution: In May 2016, the Ujjwala project was launched to provide cooking gas cylinders to households, touted in BJP campaigns as Modi’s initiative to relieve women from relying on coal and wood for cooking. Government data shows an increase in gas coverage from 55% in 2016 to 97% by 2020, although other statistics indicate affordability for refills remains questionable.

• Maternity leave: In 2017, a legislative change allowed formal sector women employees six months of paid maternity leave, up from three. However, critics argue that the dominance of semi-formal and informal sectors in India fails to offer similar protections, resulting in a drop in the female labor participation rate.
• Women’s safety: In a country recording almost 90 daily rape cases, women's safety is paramount. Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, boasts the highest conviction rate for crimes against women under the BJP's current governance. Critics, though, underscore a yearly rise in crime rates against women in the state.

• Women’s Reservation Bill: Passed in September 2023 after numerous attempts since 1996, this legislation aims for women to hold at least one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies by 2029, following a census and delimitation process, raising concerns about the bill's timely implementation.
• Triple talaq ban: Asserted as a liberation for Muslim women by ending the instant divorce practice, critics argue it reinforces anti-Muslim stereotypes despite concurrent governmental actions counter to Muslim women’s interests, exemplified by the temporary release of Bilkis Bano’s attackers in 2022, which the Supreme Court later overturned in 2024.

Did the BJP attract women voters?

Post-election data from Lokniti, a New Delhi-based research program, indicates that BJP’s outreach did not significantly attract women voters. While the BJP secured the highest number of seats and votes—240 seats and 37 percent votes—a larger fraction of male voters (37 percent) supported the BJP compared to female voters (36 percent), reflecting similar trends from 2019.

In contrast, the Congress party saw a rise in female support to 22 percent, a 2 percent increase from 2019, compared to 21 percent of male voters supporting Congress this year.

Chhokar believes that most women recognize political programs like those of BJP as hollow initiatives.

“They perceive these programs as electoral tools without substantial implementation over time,” he explained.

How successful were the BJP’s female candidates in 2024?

The BJP's performance in sending female candidates to parliament does not stand out compared to other parties. Although the BJP has more female MPs due to its overall seat count, women represent only 12.5 percent of the BJP's total 240 seats, with 30 women MPs elected.

By contrast, women constitute 13.1 percent of Congress seats and 38 percent of All India Trinamool Congress (AITC) seats. In 2019, women comprised 13.5 percent of BJP MPs, 11.5 percent of Congress MPs, and 40.9 percent of Trinamool MPs.

Women’s representation trends in India's elections

Overall, the low representation of female MPs is not limited to a single party. “Political parties prefer women as voters rather than elected representatives,” remarked Chhokar. “Men in politics are reluctant to share power with women.”

In 1951, women accounted for about 5 percent of MPs, which has steadily increased, reaching 14.3 percent in 2019. However, 2024 saw a slight decline, with 74 women MPs compared to 78 women elected in 2019.