Five Women Elected in Delhi Assembly, Far from Promised 33%
10 FEB 2025
Despite a strong voter base, women’s representation in the Delhi Assembly remains low, with only five candidates winning seats. This marks a decline from the previous term, highlighting the gap between political promises and actual participation. The results also raise questions about the effectiveness of the Women’s Reservation Act in ensuring greater gender balance in governance.
Delhi CM Atishi won during the 2020 Assembly poll as well as the 2025 poll
The recently concluded Delhi Assembly elections have once again highlighted the stark gender disparity in political representation. Only five women candidates managed to secure a seat in the 70-member Assembly, a decline from the eight elected in the previous term. This brings women’s representation to just 7.14%, far from the 33% outlined in the Women’s Reservation Act passed in 2023.
Among the winners was AAP leader and Delhi Chief Minister Atishi, who secured victory in Kalkaji by a narrow margin of 3,521 votes against BJP’s Ramesh Bidhuri. Congress candidate Alka Lamba, who also contested from the same constituency, finished in third place with 4,392 votes. The BJP, which fielded four women candidates, saw all of them emerge victorious, strengthening its presence in the Assembly.
few of the five women who won the Delhi Assembly elections
Rekha Gupta of the BJP claimed a decisive victory in Shalimar Bagh, defeating AAP’s Bandana Kumari, who had held the seat since 2013, by a margin of 29,595 votes. In Greater Kailash, BJP’s Shikha Roy secured a win against senior AAP leader and Health Minister Saurabh Bharadwaj by 3,188 votes. Another significant victory for the BJP came from Najafgarh, where Neelam Pahalwan won against AAP’s Tarun Kumar with a margin of 29,009 votes. Poonam Sharma of the BJP triumphed in Wazirpur, defeating Rajesh Gupta of AAP by 11,425 votes.
In the 2020 elections, AAP had fielded nine women candidates, six of whom had won. Apart from Atishi, the winning candidates included Sarita Singh from Rohtas Nagar, Rakhi Birla from Madipur, Bandana Kumari from Shalimar Bagh, Dhanwati Chandela from Rajouri Garden, and Pramila Tokas from R.K. Puram. The numbers this time indicate a decline in successful female candidates, despite political parties making an effort to field women in key constituencies.
Delhi has a substantial number of women voters, accounting for over 71 lakh of the 1.55 crore electorate. In the lead-up to the elections, major political parties made several announcements aimed at women voters, focusing on economic support, safety, and social welfare programs. However, these efforts did not translate into an increase in women’s representation in the Assembly.
The results raise questions about the effectiveness of initiatives designed to encourage greater political participation among women. While the recent elections have seen strong contests from female candidates across parties, the overall numbers indicate that there is still a long way to go before gender representation in the Delhi Assembly reaches meaningful levels. The Women’s Reservation Act, which aims to increase women’s political representation to 33%, remains an aspirational goal rather than an immediate reality. The election results serve as a reminder that representation continues to be a challenge, even in an electorate where women play a crucial role in shaping political outcomes.
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