Gender ratio closing in, Karnataka parties wooing women voters

The gender gap has been closing in, in Karnataka. Between 2013 and 2023 the rise in the number of women voters in the state has been significant according to the final electoral rolls 2023

Bengaluru, Jan 18: All parties in Karnataka are leaving no stone unturned to woo the women voters.

The final electoral roll 2022 which was published on January 13 shows that the women voters have outnumbered the men voters in at least 15 electoral divisions out of the 33. The electoral rolls says that the the numbers of voters has increased by 3.27 lakh since 2021 and now Karnataka has 5.25 crore voters which include 2.60 crore women and 4,715 in the others category.

The women voters are higher than the males in 17 divisions which include Koppal, Udupi, Uttar Kannada, Shivamogga, Mysuru, Kodagu, Dakshina Kannada, Belgavi, Vijaypura, Bagalkote and Kalaburgi.

Looking at these numbers, the parties have found it important to woo the women voters. Experts tell OneIndia that in most cases it is often seen that the women are more likely to go out and vote during an election. Wooing the woman voters in Karnataka becomes even more important in such a scenario, experts explain.

The Congress which is looking to outsmart the BJP, on January 16 announced that a an allowance of Rs 2,000 per month would be given to every woman who heads a family. The scheme known as Grihalakshmi was announced by Priyanka Gandhi during a rally in Bengaluru.

To counter this the BJP put up front page advertisements announcing a Grihini Shakthi scheme through which financial assistance will be provided to housewives from the low-income families which have been affected by calamities such as COVID-19 and floods.

The advertisement by the Bommai government also listed the Sthree Samarthya scheme which is aimed at women entrepreneurs. The government also listed the Amrith Self-Help Micro Enterprise scheme under which Rs 1 lakh was released to 7,500 self-help groups in Karnataka.

The Basavaraj Bommai led BJP government in Karnataka is likely to roll out more for women. The state budget is likely to be presented on February 17 and there appears to be plenty on the cards for women.

Bommai told reporters that a special programme is being planned for women led households to support women in running their homes. This will be only for women, he said.

The gender ratio in Karnataka:

As has been pointed in this article that the women voters have outnumbered the men voters in at least 17 electoral divisions.

Udupi has the highest gender ratio at 1,074 while Bengaluru has the lowest at 914 according to the final electoral rolls of 2023.

There has been a consistent improvement in the gender ratio which has gone up from 958 per 1,000 in the 2013 assembly elections to 988 this year. In 2014, it was 960 when the Lok Sabha elections were held. The final rolls in 2015 final rolls the number was at 963.

In 2018 the ratio was at 972 while in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls it was at 976. The number was at 981 in the summary revision of 2020, 983 in 2021and 984 in the 2022 summary revision.

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