73 women elected to Lok Sabha, lower than 2019
New Delhi, Jun 5: A total of 73 women have won the Lok Sabha elections, a slight dip from 78 elected in 2019.
Of the total women MPs elected to the Lower House from across the country, West Bengal is leading with 11 female MPs.
A total of 797 women candidates had contested the elections with the BJP fielding the maximum at 69 followed by the Congress at 41.
This is the first election since the passage of the women’s reservation bill in the Parliament to reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and state assemblies for women. The law is yet to come into effect.
According to an analysis of the Election Commission data, BJP's 30 women candidates won the polls this time, Congress' 14, TMC's 11, four of the Samajwadi Party's, three of the DMK, and two each of the JDU and LJP(R).
With over 13.44 per cent female MPs, the 18th Lok Sabha will have one of the highest number of women members since 1952.
The 17th Lok Sabha had the highest number of women parliamentarians at 78, constituting over 14 per cent of the total strength.
In the 16th Lok Sabha, 64 women were its members, while 52 women were elected to the 15th Lok Sabha.
BJP's Hema Malini, TMC's Mahua Moitra, NCP's Supriya Sule, and SP's Dimple Yadav retained their seats in the Lok Sabha polls, but candidates like Kangna Ranaut and Misha Bharati stole the show with their victories.
Samajwadi Party's 25-year-old candidate for Machhlishahr, Priya Saroj, and 29-year-old Iqra Choudhary of Kairana seat, were among the youngest nominees to secure a victory.
Notably, the parties like Naam Tamilar Katchi has achieved equal gender representation with 50 per cent women candidates.
Other parties with significant female representation included Lok Janshakti Party (Ram Vilas) and Nationalist Congress Party, each with 40 per cent women candidates.
The Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM) and Biju Janata Dal (BJD) both had 33 per cent female representation, while the Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) had 29 per cent. The Samajwadi Party had 20 per cent, and the Trinamool Congress (TMC) 25 per cent.
A total of 8,360 candidates were in the fray in the parliamentary polls.
Three transgender candidates contested the elections independently. But all of them lost in the polls.
There were 24 women MPs each in the first and the second Lok Sabha.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Oppn, X users flag concerns over US envoy Sergio Gor’s visit to Army’s western command
New Delhi: A visit by the US Ambassador to India, Sergio Gor, to Chandigarh on Monday has triggered sharp criticism from opposition leaders and social media users, raising questions about national security and foreign policy.
On X, Ambassador Gor announced his visit, writing, “Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army.”
Just landed in Chandigarh. Looking forward to visiting the Western Command of the Indian Army
— Ambassador Sergio Gor (@USAmbIndia) February 16, 2026
Soon after, opposition voices questioned the broader implications of the visit. Congress Kerala, in a post, commented, “Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings. Didn't they say then ‘Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?’ Compared to that, this is very small.”
Why so much panic? We’ve already seen Pakistan's ISI getting access to Pathankot Airbase with this government's blessings.
— Congress Kerala (@INCKerala) February 16, 2026
Didn't they say then "Modi ne kiya ho to kuch soch samajh kar kiya hoga?"
Compared to that, this is very small. pic.twitter.com/gNNuAGQBPC
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Priyanka Chaturvedi also weighed in, writing, “Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that.”
She further added, “India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to know from their own government. US Ambassador is doing the job for his nation, who is doing for us? The answer is blowing in the wind.”
Since India’s national strategic interests are now tied to what US wants India to do, this visit seems to sync with that. India’s history will remember the de-escalation announcement between India and Pak was announced on social media by the US President before Indians got to… pic.twitter.com/rYMq5NhJHA
— Priyanka Chaturvedi🇮🇳 (@priyankac19) February 16, 2026
The visit comes against the backdrop of the growing US-India defence partnership.
Writer and political analyst @rajuparulekar commented on ‘X’, “East India Company is back!”
“Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in india?” asked another user.
Several X users expressed concerns over the appropriateness of the visit.
One asked, “Is it allowed for an ambassador to visit any army unit in India?” Another wrote, “Why an ambassador visiting our army places? To talk to Chandigarh lobby for F-35?”
Why an ambassador visiting our army places ? To talk to chandigarh lobby for f-35 ??
— Rohan Sagar (@RohanSagar03) February 16, 2026
“We have completely sold Indian sovereignty. Rothschild the evil Bankers will now control NSE. Modi sold Bharat Mata to Trump . And now American imperialist is visiting our army command . Scary,” wrote another user.
“The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?,” opined another.
The Indian Army isn’t part of geopolitics, so why is he interested in visiting there?
— Aditya Pratap Singh (@Adi_IIMCIAN) February 16, 2026
On Sunday, Gor welcomed Admiral Samuel Paparo, Commander of the United States Indo-Pacific Command (INDOPACOM), highlighting efforts to expand the growing US-India defence partnership.
In a post on X, Gor wrote, “Delighted to have @INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Samuel Paparo in India to expand the U.S.-India defense partnership. Now is the time to strengthen vital cooperation between our two nations.”
On Monday, Admiral Samuel J. Paparo Jr visited the headquarters of India’s Western Army Command along with the American envoy Sergio Gor. The delegation was briefed on the formation’s capabilities, its past operations, and future plans.
The American delegation also visited Bengaluru, where they met three start-ups, two in the space sector and one in defence, and participated in an Indo-US conference.
