If the changing trends in the voters’ lists are any indication, the country will have more women voters than men voters by the time the new Women Reservation Act becomes effective.

Since the last Lok Sabha elections in 2019, the number of women voters in the country has grown by 9.3 percent while the male voters increased by 6.9 percent.

Now, women electors outnumber men voters in 12 States and Union Territories, including Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, Kerala, and Andhra Pradesh. Northern States and Union Territories, are, however, are still dominated by male voters.

While in 2019 1.5 crore new voters of the 18-19 age group were added, this time the number has come to 1.85 crore.

Here again, the number of female voters is far more than male voters. Of the 2.63 crore new voters of the 18-23 age group added this time, 1.41 crore are females that comes to 15 percent more than male voters.

The gender ratio of voters has changed from 940 females to 1000 voters in 2019 to 948 females to 1000 males in 2024.

In the 2024 elections, the country will have 96.8 crore voters on its electoral rolls up from 89.6 core in 2019.

The changing gender profile of the electoral rolls and the Women’s Reservation Bill becoming an Act is expected to change the country’s political scenario at a rapid pace.

While the Women’s Reservation will have to wait before its is implemented, the changing gender ratio will not only ensure election of mandated number of women candidates but even from other non-reserved constituencies also.

The role of young voters, where again women dominate, will also be crucial for the future of Indian politics. Once women become assertive and get their entity recognised Constitutionally, politics will be up for a water shed change by the time the country holds its first elections in 2030s.

The role of the NRI voters, too, will get highlighted in the coming years as more and more members of Indian Diaspora may be lured back with the economic status of the country getting a lift.

(Prabhjot Singh is a veteran journalist with over three decades of experience of 14 years with Reuters News and 30 years with The Tribune Group, covering a wide spectrum of subjects and stories. He has covered Punjab and Sikh affairs for more than three decades besides covering seven Olympics and several major sporting events and hosting TV shows.)