Women voters outnumber men in turnout across Assam, Kerala and Puducherry: ECI

Women voters outnumbered men across all three regions that went to the polls on April 9—Assam, Kerala, and Puducherry—according to gender-wise data released by the Election Commission of India on Friday.

This trend mirrors the 2021 assembly elections, when female participation had also surpassed male turnout in all three regions.

Puducherry recorded the highest female turnout at 91.40%, compared to 88.13% among men, taking the overall turnout to 89.87%—the highest since 2011. Women’s participation in the Union Territory has consistently outpaced men over the past decade, rising from 86.29% in 2011 to 82.20% in 2021 before reaching the current high.

In Assam, female turnout stood at 86.50%, slightly ahead of 85.33% for men, pushing the overall turnout to a record 85.91% in an assembly election. The trend has been steadily strengthening, with women marginally overtaking men in both 2021 and the latest polls.

Kerala also saw a significant gap, with 81.19% of women voting compared to 75.19% of men. The state’s overall turnout rose to 78.27%, up from 76% in 2021. Women have consistently led voter participation in recent elections, including 2016 and 2021.

The increase in overall turnout across the three regions has also been attributed to revisions of electoral rolls—special intensive revisions in Kerala and Puducherry, and a special revision exercise in Assam—which helped streamline voter lists.