Breaking Barriers: How Trinamool’s Record-Breaking Proportion of Women in Lok Sabha is Shaping Politics

Trinamool Congress Advocates for Increased Women’s Representation in 18th Lok Sabha

At 38 percent, the Trinamool Congress boasts a diverse group of women MPs, including investment banker Mohua Moitra; loyalists like Sajda Ahmed and Mala Roy; professionals such as Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sharmila Sarkar; and actors including June Maliah, Racha Banerjee, Satabdi Roy, and Sayoni Ghosh.

The Trinamool Congress, having secured a majority in West Bengal, has committed to ensuring 38 percent of its MPs in the 18th Lok Sabha are women. This eclectic mix includes investment banker Mohua Moitra, steadfast loyalists such as Sajda Ahmed and Mala Roy, professionals like Kakoli Ghosh Dastidar and Sharmila Sarkar, and actors such as June Maliah, Racha Banerjee, Satabdi Roy, and Sayoni Ghosh. Additional notable leaders include Mitali Bag and Pratima Mondal.

In 25 out of the 42 constituencies in West Bengal, women outnumbered men. In 15 of these 25 seats, women’s votes played a crucial role in the party’s victory.

Trinamool’s initial delegation to the Lower House included two women out of eight MPs. Apart from party founder Mamata Banerjee, Subhas Chandra Bose’s brother’s daughter-in-law Krishna Bose was another key parliamentarian in 1999. By 2019, Banerjee had nominated 17 women in 42 seats.

Prominent women in Parliament now include Kangana Ranaut and Hema Malini from the BJP, Supriya Sule from the NCP, Sharadchandra Pawar, and Misa Bharati from the RJD. This year will see some young faces like 25-year-olds Shambhavi Choudhary of the LJP, Priya Saroj of the Samajwadi Party, and Sanjana Jatav of the Congress entering Parliament.

“The women-centric schemes that help the poorest of women in Bengal’s villages to the representation that we give to women in the highest chamber of Indian democracy, everything represents our commitment to women and their upliftment,” Trinamool Congress spokesperson Sukhendu Sekhar Roy told the Times of India.

According to Election Commission of India data, the 18th Lok Sabha will have over 13.44% women MPs, one of the highest proportions since 1952. The 17th Lok Sabha had the most women MPs at 78, constituting over 14% of the total. The 16th Lok Sabha had 64 women members, while the 15th had 52.

Reports indicate that women made up 48.41% of India’s population in 2022.