Women remain underrepresented in politics, decision-making: Annamalai

K. Annamalai. Files | Photo credit: S. Siva Saravanan

Former BJP leader and founder of the ‘We The Leaders’ movement K. Annamalai said on Thursday (Oct 1, 2026) that women remain under-represented 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 constituted 11.01% of Tamil Nadu assembly candidates in 2026,” he said.

In his remarks for a policy paper on women’s safety and empowerment prepared by the ‘We The Leaders’ Foundation, Mr. Annamalai said that Tamil Nadu recorded 26,145 cases of rape, sexual harassment, stalking, kidnapping and under the POCSO Act between 2020 and 2024, with only 27 cases of child sexual abuse 39

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

Published – 01 Oct 2026 15:42 IST