Events

Understanding the Female Voter in Modern India

Discussants:
Ruhi Tewari, Author & Independent Journalist 
Shrayana Bhattacharya, Senior Economist, World Bank
Yashwant Deshmukh, Director & Founding Editor, CVoter
Rahul Verma, Fellow, CPR

Wednesday, 3 December 2025, 5:00 PM IST onwards.

This event will be held online via Zoom. Please register below to attend.

Register to attend via Zoom

About the discussion:
This discussion hopes to blend the outcome of the recently concluded Bihar assembly elections, in which women once again turned out in greater numbers and decisively voted for one political formation, and the findings from Ruhi Tewari’s book, What Women Want: Understanding the Female Voter in Modern India.

About the book:
In the past few years, women’s participation in India’s political arena has undergone a tremendous shift. Ruhi Tewari travels across states and communities to understand how Indian women vote, and why. Blending fieldwork, data and political insight, this book traces the rise of the woman voter from silent participant to a decisive force. It asks: Do women vote as women? Does caste or religion override gender at the ballot box? What happens when welfare schemes become the new normal and get taken for granted?

This book is a portrait of the Indian democracy, which sees women not as passive beneficiaries of politics, but as its most ambitious stakeholders.

About the Author:
Ruhi Tewari is a journalist with nearly two decades of experience covering politics, policy and their intersection for leading Indian media organisations, including the Mint, The Indian Express and The Print.