Women-centric schemes fuel 1.8 crore surge in female voter turnout in 2024 Lok Sabha election: SBI report

The 2024 Lok Sabha elections witnessed an incremental increase of 1.8 crore women voters compared to 2019, primarily because of the implementation of women-centric welfare schemes, according to a report by SBI Research based on Election Commission data.

The report highlighted that Mudra Yojana, house ownership under PMAY, and sanitation were major contributing factors for increased women voter turnout.

“Based on a comprehensive set of research data that the Election Commission has released...we empirically establish that states have witnessed an incremental women voter turnout because of implementation of women centric schemes...that also includes income transfer schemes…,” SBI Research said in its January 9 report.

SBI Research compared states that launched women-centric schemes after 2019 with those that did not. The analysis revealed a much higher increase in mean female voter turnout in states with such schemes. On average, women voter turnout increased by 7.8 lakh in 19 beneficiary states, taking the cumulative rise to 1.5 crore.

On the other hand, states without new schemes recorded an increase of only 2.5 lakh on average, or 30 lakh in total.

The study also linked a rise in literacy rates to a 25% increase in female voter turnout.

“We find that a 1% rise in literacy rate leads to a 25% rise in female voter’s turnout ratio implying that out of the 1.8 crores incremental female voters (2024 vs 2019 elections), 45 lakh female voters rise is attributable to a rise in literacy,” it said.

“Sanitation accounts for ~ 21 lakh incremental female voters' turnout in 2024 elections implying the paramount significance of sanitation in shaping the socio-political priorities,” the report added.

It also identified electricity access and improved drinking water as emerging factors, though their statistical significance was limited.

Despite positive trends, the SBI report cautioned against the unregulated expansion of welfare schemes. It recommended that welfare spending be capped at 1% of Gross State Domestic Product (GSDP) or state revenue to ensure fiscal sustainability.

“With this, the desired welfare schemes can be implemented in a proper way, while simultaneously freeing up resources for productive capital formation,” the report said.