LUCKNOW, Nov. 8 -- Women, who have consistently recorded higher voter turnout than men in successive major elections in Uttar Pradesh since 2012, are fast emerging as an influential electoral constituency, with political parties seeking to woo them through promises centred on their welfare and empowerment in the lead-up to the 2027 state assembly polls.

The trend is evident in the voting figures of the past three assembly elections and two Lok Sabha polls. Election Commission data show that in 2012, women's turnout stood at 60.28% against 59.21% among men. The gap widened in 2017, when 63.38% of women voted against 59.21% of men. In 2022, the female turnout was 62.24% compared with 59.56% among men.

Female voter turnout in UP exceeded m...