Women’s representation has steadily increased in the Lok Sabha. In the first-ever election, only 5% of the House consisted of women. Now, that has increased to 14%.

The newly elected 17th Lok Sabha showcases a saffron sweep, with the BJP taking 303 of 542 parliamentary seats that went to the polls. According to data from Parliament tracker PRS Legislative Research, 397 MPs have been elected from national parties. The Congress managed to have 52 MPs elected, while the Trinamool Congress has given 22 to the lower House.

Among regional parties, the DMK and the YSR Congress have the most number of seats — 23 and 22 respectively.

While in 2014, 314 MPs were first-timers, this time around, the number has lessened to 300. 197 MPs have been re-elected, as opposed to 169 in 2014. Only 45 MPs have earlier held office.

This is also the time that the average age of an MP has reduced drastically. 12% of MPs are aged below 40 years. In 2014, only 8% fit into this age group. Incidentally, women MPs are 6 years younger than their male counterparts. The 17th Lok Sabha also has the highest number of women MPs. Women’s representation has steadily increased in the Lok Sabha. In the first-ever election, only 5% of the House consisted of women. Now, that has increased to 14%.

Over 600 women have been legislators since 1962. Of the 543 constituencies, about half (48.4%) have never voted a woman MP since 1962. As many as 280 constituencies have voted at least one woman MP. The map below gives a picture of how many women MPs have been elected over the years. Use the year slider to explore the data over the years.

This is still a low number given that it is not near proportional representation. The U.S. has 32% lawmakers, while neighbouring Bangladesh has 21%.

2019 also sees the increase in the number of MPs who have completed their school education. 27% of those elected have finished Class XII, compared to 20% in 2014. Since 1996, 75% of the House has been filled up by graduates. 4% of the elected MPs this year possess doctorate degrees. 38% of MPs have listed their profession as agricultural activities, while 39% say they are in political and social work.