THE men contesting India's general election are vying for women voters but the paltry number of female candidates shows the battle women face in Indian politics - as in so much else in Indian life.
When not trading barbs, India's prime minister Narendra Modi and his political rival Rahul Gandhi have both promised a safer life and new opportunities to the women who form almost half of the Indian electorate.
Yet the female reality looks far less rosy.
Women in India earn less, learn less, live poorer, marry younger, and risk sexual violence from molestation to rape.
Given this, their lot in politics is no big surprise.
"There is no truer reflection of the reality of Indian society than politics. Women are discriminated against from birth to marriage to death," said Tara Krishnaswamy of Shakti, an organisation campaigning for more women in parliament.
"Both economics and social order is dominated by men and so is political representation," she said.
Modi and Gandhi both hope that by promising women a better tomorrow, they will win votes in today's elections, which began on April 11 and end on May 19, with results due four days later.
India was one of the first - of few - countries to have a female head of state, yet female participation in politics remains stubbornly low more than five decades after Indira Gandhi became its first prime minister.
India has since had a woman president, and major political parties have women bosses who are giving Modi a tough fight this election, but the gender ratio lower down the ranks remains massively skewed in favour of men.
For despite the assiduous courtship of women voters, the parties vying for power share a shaky record when it comes to promoting women as potential fellow leaders.
Only 527 women are contesting this election out of 6,046 candidates, according to data compiled by electoral watchdog Association for Democratic Reforms.
"The numbers appear small. Parties don't think women can contest since men have been around in politics for years and women have to be prepared for the role. I don't agree," said Vijaya Rahatkar, national president of BJP's women's wing.
Rahatkar, however, listed her party's women-centric achievements - such as having six female cabinet ministers out of a total 27 - and a commitment to reserve one in three places for women in parliament if the BJP forms the government again.
"I believe we are ready. There are many good women," said Rahatkar, who was on the BJP's selection committee.
Of the 437 candidates fielded by Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), 50 are women; Gandhi's Congress party has 46 women out of 421 candidates, according to party data.
Yet women are key to the workforce and economic success, according to the World Economic Forum, which ranked India at 108 out of 149 countries in its Global Gender Gap report of 2018.
"Political parties say they are not able to find women candidates. It is untrue. They just think men make better candidates," said Krishnaswamy, who co-founded Shakti - which means strength in Hindi - last December.
Standing at number 150, India ranks lower than neighbouring Bangladesh and Pakistan in its number of women parliamentarians.
According to the United Nations, only 24 per cent of all national parliamentarians were women as of November 2018, up from 11.3 per cent in 1995.
About 432 million of India's 900 million voters are female and they are a key focus of the men competing for power.
Major parties have vowed in their manifestos to improve women's participation in the workforce, with the BJP promising to set aside parliamentary seats and the Congress promising a quota for women in government jobs.
Congress party has also promised to set up a separate agency to investigate crimes against women, with more rape cases now being reported following 2012's gang rape of a young woman in a Delhi bus that created shock waves worldwide.
"Women are voting in large numbers, they are becoming an election issue, they are a vote bank," said senior Congress leader Renuka Chowdhury, who has been a member of both the lower and upper house of the Indian parliament.
Then what holds parties back from fielding more women?
"Men," said Chowdhury.
"There is male bonding across party lines. The sure-winning seats go to men, (candidates for) doubtful ones are decided on caste and the losing seats go to women."
Chowdhury, often described as a firebrand politician, said that despite winning the backing of her party's top brass, local leadership was reluctant to campaign for her.
Indian election campaigns are extravagant, long events with road shows and rallies organised on massive playgrounds, and multiples vehicles used to mobilise and bring people to attend speeches of leaders.
The local party cadre plays a key role in connecting the electorate with candidates, who may not necessarily be local.
"Women candidates don't get the money they should for campaigning. No big leaders campaign for them and there is no mobilising on the ground," said journalist Geeta Seshu, who has tracked candidates and writes regularly on women's rights.
What the parties lack in numbers, they make up for with star power.
In Mumbai, Congress fielded Bollywood actor Urmila Matondkar, while a West Bengal party, the All India Trinamool Congress, fielded three female actors to a nation mad on movies.
The sprinkling of stardust creates an illusion there are more women running, said Krishnaswamy of Shakti, but political parties denied this was their intention.
"We have fielded women doctors, (a) lawyer and an investment banker, but the media is only interested in the actors," said Derek O'Brien, a lawmaker from the Trinamool Congress.
Actor-politicians say voters are no longer star struck.
Khushbu Sundar, an actor whose fans built a temple for her in southern India, recalled that when she joined politics about a decade ago, people gathered at her rallies just for a glimpse.
"They now wait for me to say 'vannakam (greeting in Tamil), I'll see you next time' and then leave," said Sundar, a national spokeswoman for Congress party.
"That is a big shift in the way the electorate views a woman candidate or campaigner."
Political leaders said there is a shift in the way women are perceived even within their own parties, and that candidate selection is rooted in merit and potential reach.
"I can connect more with women, their families. People like it when I hold their children," said Poonam Mahajan of BJP, who comes from a politically influential family and is contesting her second parliamentary election.
"Women candidates are more approachable," she said.
INDIA’s efforts to secure the extradition of high-profile economic offenders from the United Kingdom, including Nirav Modi and Vijay Mallya, have moved forward with a recent visit by a team from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) to Tihar Jail in Delhi, an official said on Sunday (September 7).
The CPS delegation visited the prison last week to review jail conditions as required by UK courts before deciding on extradition requests, the official said.
India has been seeking the return of several fugitives wanted in cases ranging from bank fraud to arms smuggling.
Authorities have assured UK courts that individuals extradited to India will not be subjected to unsafe or inhumane conditions in custody.
According to the official, the CPS team toured the high-security section of Tihar and interacted with some inmates.
Jail authorities informed the delegation that if necessary, a separate unit could be set up within the prison to house high-profile accused, ensuring their safety and meeting international standards.
UK courts have previously rejected extradition requests from India citing concerns over prison conditions. New Delhi has since given assurances that the rights of the accused will be protected, with no scope for unlawful interrogation or mistreatment.
Mallya, accused of loan defaults of over about £756 million, has been living in the UK and is contesting extradition.
Nirav Modi, the main accused in about £1.15 billion Punjab National Bank fraud case, was declared a fugitive offender in 2019 and arrested in the UK the same year. His extradition has been approved by a London court, though appeals are still pending.
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The minister, promoted from the Ministry of Justice during prime minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet reshuffle last Friday, said securing the country’s borders would be her main focus.
Mahmood hosted Five Eyes ministers from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada in London
Home secretary says border security will be her main focus after Cabinet reshuffle
NEWLY-APPOINTED home secretary Shabana Mahmood on Monday (September 8) outlined a tougher approach on immigration, warning that countries refusing to take back illegal migrants could face visa suspensions.
Mahmood, who took charge of the Home Office last week, made the remarks as she hosted ministerial counterparts from the US, Australia, New Zealand and Canada at a meeting of the intelligence-sharing group “Five Eyes” in London.
Her comments came after more than 1,000 migrants crossed the English Channel in small boats over the weekend, one of the highest totals recorded in recent times.
Visa warning to countries
"For countries that do not play ball, we have been talking about taking much more coordinated action between the Five Eyes countries,” Mahmood said.
"And for us that means the possibility of cutting visas in the future, just to say we do expect countries to play ball, play by the rules and if one of your citizens has no right to be in our country, you have to take them back," she added.
The minister, promoted from the Ministry of Justice during prime minister Keir Starmer’s Cabinet reshuffle last Friday, said securing the country’s borders would be her main focus.
"I'm very clear that there has to be a strong approach to maintaining our border, and that does mean saying to countries who do not take their citizens back that we're not simply going to allow our laws to remain unenforced. That they do have to play ball, they have to come to the table and if cutting visas is one of the ways to do that, then I will do whatever it takes," she said.
Talks with Five Eyes ministers
Mahmood was speaking to reporters as she began talks with Kristi Noem, US Homeland Security Secretary, who is visiting the UK. Noem has been overseeing President Donald Trump’s deportation drive in her role with the US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agency.
Australian home affairs minister Tony Burke, New Zealand minister Judith Collins and Canadian public safety minister Gary Anandasangaree also took part in Monday’s summit. Alongside discussions on illegal migration and people smuggling, the agenda included online child sexual abuse and the spread of opioids.
Mahmood, 44, was born in Birmingham to parents from Mirpur in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. A University of Oxford graduate and qualified barrister, she was first elected as a Labour MP in 2010.
She has held several shadow cabinet positions and was appointed to one of the senior-most roles in the Labour government last year, becoming one of the most prominent British Muslims in the party.
In May, during Operation Sindoor after the Pahalgam terrorist attack, she issued a statement on South Asia tensions: “I share the concerns of my constituents regarding the rising tensions between Pakistan and India. Nobody wins in an escalation between the two countries, and dialogue and diplomacy should be a priority.”
“I know many in Birmingham with family in both countries will be desperately worried, which is why restoring regional stability is essential,” she said at the time.
(With inputs from agencies)
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Migrants wade into the sea to board a dinghy to cross the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France.(Photo: Getty Images)
MORE than 1,000 migrants arrived on small boats across the Channel on Shabana Mahmood’s first full day as home secretary, taking total arrivals this year past 30,000.
The Home Office said 1,097 migrants crossed on Saturday after nine days without any arrivals. It was the second-highest daily total this year, after 1,195 on May 31. Crossings have now reached 30,100 — 37 per cent higher than at this point in 2023 and 8 per cent higher than 2022, the record year.
Mahmood called the figures “utterly unacceptable” and said she would consider all options. She pledged the first deportations to France under the new one-in, one-out deal would begin “imminently”, with returns expected later this month.
Concerns remain that a possible collapse of the French government, with prime minister François Bayrou facing a confidence vote on Monday, could delay returns and a new maritime law allowing French police to intercept boats in the Channel, The Times reported.
The 30,000 mark has been reached earlier this year than any other since records began in 2018. It was reached on September 21 in 2022, October 30 last year, and not at all in 2023.
Mahmood, appointed home secretary after Angela Rayner’s resignation, is expected to outline plans to move asylum seekers from hotels into military sites.
Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “Reshuffling ministerial deckchairs does not change the obvious fact Labour has totally lost control of our borders.”
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Demonstrators gather at the entrance of the parliament during a protest against corruption and government’s decision to block several social media platforms, in Kathmandu, Nepal September 8, 2025. (Photo: Reuters)
Thousands of young Nepalis march in Kathmandu against social media ban and corruption
Government blocks 26 unregistered platforms, citing fake news and fraud concerns
Police use tear gas, rubber bullets and water cannons to disperse protesters
Critics accuse government of authoritarianism and failure to deliver on promises
THOUSANDS of young Nepalis marched in Kathmandu on Monday demanding that the government lift its ban on social media platforms and address corruption.
Nepal blocked access to 26 unregistered platforms, including Facebook, YouTube, and X, on Friday. Popular platforms such as Instagram have millions of users in the country who rely on them for entertainment, news, and business. Authorities said the shutdown followed a Supreme Court order from September last year, which required companies to register in Nepal, appoint grievance officers, and establish local compliance.
The government said social media users with fake IDs had been spreading hate speech, fake news, and committing fraud. In a statement on Sunday, it said it respected freedom of thought and expression and was committed to "creating an environment for their protection and unfettered use".
Many demonstrators carried national flags and placards reading "Shut down corruption and not social media", "Unban social media", and "Youths against corruption". They began their rally with the national anthem before marching through the city.
"We were triggered by the social media ban but that is not the only reason we are gathered here," said student Yujan Rajbhandari, 24. "We are protesting against corruption that has been institutionalised in Nepal."
Another student, Ikshama Tumrok, 20, said she opposed the "authoritarian attitude" of the government. "We want to see change. Others have endured this, but it has to end with our generation," she said.
Protester Bhumika Bharati added: "There have been movements abroad against corruption and they (the government) are afraid that might happen here as well."
Since the ban, TikTok — still operational in Nepal — has carried viral videos comparing the lives of ordinary citizens with those of politicians’ children showing off luxury goods and vacations.
On Monday, thousands of youths, including students in school uniforms, tried to march to parliament but were stopped by police who had set up barbed wire barricades. Authorities said demonstrators attempted to break into parliament by pushing through police lines.
Police used tear gas, rubber bullets, water cannons and batons to disperse the crowds, officials said. "We have imposed a curfew which will remain in force until 10 pm local time (1615 GMT) to bring the situation under control after protesters began to turn violent," said Muktiram Rijal, spokesperson for the Kathmandu district office.
Nepal has restricted social media platforms before. The Telegram messaging app was blocked in July over fraud and money laundering concerns, and TikTok was banned for nine months before being restored in August last year when it complied with local rules.
Many Nepalis believe corruption is widespread, and prime minister KP Sharma Oli’s government has been criticised by opponents for failing to deliver on its promises. About 90 per cent of Nepal’s 30 million people use the internet.
The protests come as governments worldwide, including the US, EU, Brazil, India, China and Australia, have been tightening oversight of social media and Big Tech, citing concerns over misinformation, privacy, online harm and security. Critics warn that such measures risk limiting free expression, while regulators argue that stricter controls are needed.
(With inputs from agencies)
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People try to board a migrant dinghy into the English Channel on August 25, 2025 in Gravelines, France. (Photo: Getty Images)
THE UK government said on Sunday it is examining the use of military sites to house migrants, amid growing criticism over the practice of accommodating asylum seekers in hotels.
"We are looking at the potential use of military and non-military use sites for temporary accommodation for the people who come across on these small boats," defence secretary John Healey told Sky News.
Home secretary Shabana Mahmood said in a statement that migrants using boats to cross the Channel from France was "utterly unacceptable".
According to figures published Sunday by the Home Office, more than 30,000 people have arrived in Britain by boat since the start of the year.
Mahmood also said a new deal with France, which came into effect in early August, would allow Britain to detain those arriving by boat and return them to France.
The arrangement requires Britain to accept an equal number of eligible migrants from France.
Some hotels currently used to house migrants have seen protests, and the government is also facing legal challenges. By law, asylum seekers must be provided with accommodation and access to health care.
Prime minister Keir Starmer has pledged to end the use of hotels within four years. The government has already reduced the number of hotel places by half compared to a year ago.
The previous Conservative government had already prepared two disused military bases to house several hundred asylum seekers, a measure criticised by migrant-aid groups.