Women remain underrepresented in politics, decision-making: Annamalai

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K. Annamalai. File | Photo Credit: S. Siva Saravanan

Former BJP leader and founder of ‘We The Leaders’ movement K. Annamalai on Thursday (October 1, 2026) said women remained underrepresented in politics and decision-making.

“Globally, women hold 27.5% of parliamentary seats and 22.4% of Cabinet positions. In India, women hold 13.8% of Lok Sabha seats and 5.6% of Union Cabinet positions, and they accounted for 11.01% of Assembly contestants in Tamil Nadu in 2026,” he said.

In his remarks made for a policy paper on women’s safety and empowerment prepared by ‘We The Leaders’ Foundation, Mr. Annamalai said Tamil Nadu recorded 26,145 cases of rape, sexual harassment, stalking, kidnapping, and under the POCSO Act between 2020 and 2024, with child sexual abuse alone accounting for 21,397 cases.

“The data also shows that registered sexual harassment cases increased sharply over the period, while domestic violence reported by married women declined from about 41-42% in 2015-16 to 28-29% in 2023-24. However, it is above the national average,” Mr. Annamalai said.

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