Looks like all political parties have thrown caution to the winds where 33 per cent reservation for women is concerned. Take the examples of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal which recently went to polls.
In spite of every party's stated goal of 33 per cent representation/reservation for women, the total number of women members of legislative assembly in the five new assemblies has gone down from 80 in 2006 to 72 (that is 9 per cent of all MLAs) in 2011, which is even below the total percentage of women members of Parliament in the Lok Sabha (11 per cent).
Out of the 824 newly-elected MLAs, only 72 (9 per cent) women MLAs are in the five new assemblies of Assam, Kerala, Puducherry, Tamil Nadu, and West Bengal.
Overall, the total number of women MLAs in these five Assemblies has reduced from 80 in 2006 to 72 in 2011.
Among all assemblies, West Bengal has the highest number of women MLAs 34 (12 per cent of the assembly). It is followed by Assam with 14 (11 per cent) women MLAs, Tamil Nadu with 17 (7 per cent) and Kerala with only 7 (5 per cent) women MLAs.
Puducherry assembly does not have a single woman as MLA. Party-wise the highest number of women MLAs are from All India Trinamool Congress 24 (13 per cent) followed by the Indian National Congress 17 (10 per cent) and All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam 12 (8 per cent).
A total of 19 (26 per cent) women MLAs out of the total of 72 women MLAs are millionaires. The maximum number of crorepati women MLAs is from Tamil Nadu (9) followed by Assam (6) and West Bengal (4).
The top two highest asset women MLAs are Jayalalitha (AIADMK) from Tamil Nadu (51.4 crore) followed by Kasturi Das (AITC) from West Bengal (7.2 crore).
Thirteen women MLAs out of 72 (18 per cent) have pending criminal cases against them. Comparatively, 244 men MLAs out of a total of 752 (32 per cent) have pending criminal cases against them.
