India, Nov. 23 -- The Bihar election once again underscored the growing electoral power of women in reshaping the political landscape. While women are under-represented in Parliament and legislatures, they are a force to reckon with in elections. To an extent, chief minister (CM) Nitish Kumar, was able to beat anti-incumbency, thanks to his far-reaching support for women's development. The surge in women's vote share reflects socio-economic and cultural shifts, alongside regional dynamics that are transforming women's political participation and influence. The pattern of rising women voters is the result of developments over the past decades that have created structural change such as institution-backed spaces for women to come into public life. Women's political representation and their vote share are interconnected. Their transition from the domestic to the public or political sphere has been due to the election of more than 1.4 million female representatives at panchayat and municipality levels. The country's 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendment Acts of 1992 established the Panchayati Raj Institution (PRI) systems for local self-governance and ensured that one-third to half of all seats are allocated to women. Bihar was the first state to reserve 50% of all PRI seats for women. This has created a critical mass of women leaders and set them up as visible symbols of political power with shifts in the attitude of their male counterparts. It has also created a new imagination for other women. In many cases, the elected women have moved from tokenistic representation to effective leadership. Women pradhans and ward members have mainstreamed issues of strategic importance for women, into local budgeting and planning processes of the annual Gram Panchayat Development Plans (GPDPs). These include services and infrastructure related to reproductive and maternal health, family planning, security, girls' education and ending gender-based violence. At the heart of this change also is the intersectional identity of the elected women leaders. Integrating an explicit intersectional social inclusion lens into the gender quota, the reservation for women in panchayats specifically includes a sub-quota for women from SC/ST groups. This has brought about further social change. Through institutionalised representation in local-level planning and governance, there has been a shift in the dynamic of what even the most vulnerable women see as their role in public life. They now play a central role in advocating for women-led development, increasing their influence in elections and driving political parties to actively seek their support. Their growing leadership isn't confined to elections. However, women's rights activist and researcher Aasha Ramesh sounds a note of caution: "The danger of pandering to women as an electoral constituency lies in politicians limiting themselves to electoral quid pro quo denying women their due share in power." A surge in women's participation at the ballot box is closely tied to their rising presence and power across other areas of public life. This transformation is catalysed by collective action and social empowerment programmes such as JEEViKA in Bihar. Suneeta Dhar, a gender specialist who has worked extensively in Bihar, says, "When a supportive gender architecture is in place, it substantively enhances women's mobility, decision-making power, and collective public action." Safer polling environments, active mobilisation, higher visibility, greater digital literacy and connectivity, and, ironically, in some cases, male migration are driving increased women's electoral participation. Unlocking the power of their votes depends on expanding their leadership, agency, and presence in the political, economic, and social spheres, setting the stage for equitable development....