BJP Rajya Sabha member Raghav Chadha highlighted India's approach to women's political participation at the 12th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Samarkand on Thursday. Addressing a session on “Ensuring Women's Political Rights”, Chadha emphasised that women should not be limited to exercising their right to vote but should also have a meaningful role in decision-making and governance.

Chadha described India's transition under Prime Minister Narendra Modi as a shift from women's development to women-led development. He said women are increasingly being viewed not merely as beneficiaries of government policies but as active participants in economic and political life, including as entrepreneurs, elected representatives and decision-makers. He framed this shift as an important part of expanding women's role within democratic institutions.

The BJP leader outlined three levels of women's political participation in India — the ballot, grassroots governance and the highest levels of decision-making. Referring to the 2024 general elections, he highlighted that more than 476 million women were registered voters and that women's turnout was roughly 67 per cent, slightly higher than that of men. He noted that women's participation had exceeded men's turnout for the second consecutive general election.

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At the grassroots level, Chadha pointed to the participation of women in Panchayati Raj institutions. He cited around 1.45 million elected women representatives, accounting for approximately 46 per cent of elected representatives at that level. He also noted that 21 Indian states have gone beyond the constitutional minimum by providing 50 per cent reservation for women in panchayats, with elected women representatives involved in community leadership, local planning and public service delivery.

At the national and state levels, Chadha highlighted the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, also known as the Women Reservation Bill. He described the legislation as a significant step towards greater representation of women in Parliament and state legislatures, noting its constitutional framework for one-third reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies. He stressed that representation should translate into voice, authority and decision-making power.

Concluding his address, Chadha presented India's message as one of moving beyond encouraging women to participate as voters towards enabling them to govern. He called for women to be given seats, authority and institutional support so that political empowerment becomes lasting and difficult to reverse. His remarks placed women's political participation within the broader framework of strengthening democratic governance and ensuring greater representation in decision-making institutions.

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