PATNA, Oct. 22 -- Though all political parties have been trying to attract women, ranging from offering sops to pledging women-centric schemes, the representation of women in candidate lists remains inadequate. They figure only as marginal representation, and even among those who have been fielded, many come from legacy families or as proxy to their influential husbands or other kin. The RJD, which is contesting the highest number of seats in the 2025 election, has fielded the highest number of 24 women (16.78%), including kin of Bahubalis who cannot fight themselves and have fielded as proxy or influential politicians -- a trend most parties have followed. The Congress has given symbols to five women (8.61 %) out of the 61 candidates it has fielded, so far. The JD(U) and the BJP have given tickets to 13 (12.87%) women each out of the 101 seats each of them are contesting. The LJP-RV has given tickets to six women, though one faces disqualification due to discrepancies in the documents and the party has gone into appeal. Overall, the NDA has fielded 35 women (14.40%) in the 243-member Assembly, while the INDIA bloc has fielded 32 (13.16%). Both the alliances are way short of the 33% quota requirement for women. On September 8, 2017, Bihar Assembly witnessed an unusual scene - women cutting across party lines standing up for their rights, demanding 50% quota in the legislature and Parliament. It was the Women's Day and women had got a chance to speak ahead of their male counterparts as a mark of respect. But eight years later, they are still far from it despite their aggressive voting in elections. Women, who make up 47.86% (2011 Census) of the state, but their voting percentage has been significantly higher than men in the last three elections and are seen a target group for all political parties. In the 2020 assembly election also, women voters outnumbered their male counterparts by a margin of over 5% and it further increased to around 6.5% in 2014 Lok Sabha election in Bihar. While the voting percentage of men was 54.68% in 2020, it was 59.69% for women. The average voters' turnout in Bihar for the 2024 Lok Sabha elections was 56.28%, with men's participation at 53% and women's turnout at 59.45%. Bihar chief minister and JD(U) president Nitish Kumar is banking on this constituency he has nurtured all through his 20-year stint. In his hectic electioneering, defying his age, he does not forget to remind people of the work done by his government for the women and the situation of the state prior to 2005, when he took over the reins from Lalu Prasad' RJD. Even before the launch of the Mahila Rozgaar Yojana, under which 1.4-crore women are estimated to have got Rs. 10,000 each, hike in elderly pension and incentives to Jeevika volunteers, he had increased the Rs.10,000 incentive after passing matriculation to Rs.25,000 and Rs.25,000 motivation fund on completion of graduation to Rs.50,000 and given 50% reservation to women in panchayati raj institutions and educational institutions and 35% quota in the government jobs. The RJD has also come up with 'Mai Bahin Yojana' to offer Rs.2,500 monthly to every women. "Women have been in the forefront of Nitish government's policies from the very outset and they are already in the mainstream of grassroots governance in a big way and before too long they will graduate to the next level for higher representation they deserve. And only he will do it," said Bihar minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary. In the present Bihar Vidhan Sabha there were 10.70% women members. Following the 2020 elections, 26 woman legislators had got elected out of 243, which was lower than 28 women (11%) winning in 2015. The highest representation of women in the Bihar Vidhan Sabha in the last seven decades was witnessed in 2010 when 34 women (14%) had won in a landslide victory for the NDA government, but it has kept falling since then....