Highlighting the under-representation of women in Parliament, Chief Election Commissioner (CEC) Sushil Chandra on Saturday said the first Lok Sabha had 15 women MPs and the 17th Lok Sabha has 78, but progress is still slow.

While addressing the event ‘Sansad Ratna awards’ in Delhi, he added that there is a need to have a very inclusive Parliament. “First Lok Sabha had 15 women MPs & 17th Lok Sabha has 78 but progress is still slow. We’ll have to have a very inclusive Parliament,” he said during his address.

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Stressing upon the functions of a good legislature, he said that a good legislature is truly and meaningfully representative. It must include diverse voices, especially of those who were marginalised earlier. This implies greater presence and participation of women in Parliament.

“The classical function of a good legislature is an inclusive legislature. This is the most important thing,” he stated.

Expressing concern over the time lost due to disruptions in Parliament, he said that this does not augur well for democracy.

“While heated arguments, debates and speeches are a barometer of a robust Parliament, frequent disruptions, walkouts and hunger strikes are not,” he added while emphasizing the disruptions in Parliamentary proceedings.
The time lost due to disruptions has seen a dramatic increase over the years, with some sessions witnessing a complete “wash out”. “This does not augur well for a robust parliamentary democracy,” he said.

“Participation in Parliament, raising matters of critical importance by virtue of the Question Hour and the Zero Hour are established parliamentary practices… This precious opportunity should not be wasted by theatrics or slogan-shouting or rushing to the well of the House,” Chandra said.

While talking about the participation of women in elections, he shared the data of the recently-held Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa, Punjab, and Manipur.

The women voter turnout exceeded the male voter turnout in In four of the five states- Goa, Uttarakhand, Manipur and Uttar Pradesh, while it was nearly equal in Punjab, he pointed out.