Number of women voters increases in Jharkhand, may play decisive role in 32 out of 81 seats

Ranchi, Oct 17 (IANS) Women are set to be a major force in the Assembly elections of Jharkhand, as voters list data shows a significant rise in female voters.

In the 2019 Assembly elections, there were 914 females for every 1,000 male voters. This number has now increased to 981 females per 1,000 male voters, a rise of 67 women voters.

In the recent Lok Sabha elections, an encouraging increase has also been observed in the number and ratio of women voters in the state. During the Lok Sabha elections held in May-June, the number of females per 1,000 male voters was 963. Now, an additional 18 women per 1,000 men have been added.

According to the updated voters list, Jharkhand has a total of 1,31,44,236 male voters and 1,28,99,019 female voters.

Out of the state's 81 seats, 32 have more female voters than male voters. These constituencies include Borio, Barhait, Littipara, Pakur, Maheshpur, Shikaripara, Nala, Jamtara, Ghatshila, Potka, Jugsalai, Saraikela, Kharsawan, Chaibasa, Majhgaon, Jaganathpur, Manoharpur, Chakradharpur, Tamar, Khijri, Hatia, Kanke, Mandar, Torpa, Khunti, Sisai, Gumla, Bishunpur, Simdega, Kolebira, Lohardaga, and Manika.

Out of these 32 seats, 28 are reserved for Scheduled Tribes (ST) or Scheduled Castes (SC). In the Majhgaon constituency of Kolhan division, the number of female voters exceeds male voters by 9,000, while in Jaganathpur, the difference is around 8,000.

Additionally, eight other constituencies have between 4,000 and 7,000 more women voters than men. This demographic shift indicates that women are likely to play a decisive role in around 40 per cent of the seats in Jharkhand.

Among the new voters in the 18-19 age group, women have again taken the lead. The state has 5,18,319 male voters in this age group, compared to 6,65,818 female voters. This means that 56 per cent of the new voters are women while 44 per cent are men.

Sudhir Pal, the state Convenor of Election Watch, an organisation that analyses election data, commented, "The figures clearly show that awareness about voting rights has increased among Jharkhand's women. The rise in women voters, especially in tribal areas, is a very encouraging sign."