In the recently elected 15th Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, the percentage of female legislators elected has decreased by 8% as compared to the last term. Interestingly, there are plans to introduce the Women's Reservation Bill, which will reserve one-third of seats in the Lok Sabha and Vidhan Sabhas for women.
This term, only 22, or 8%, of the total members are female. This is a drop from the previous term, which had 24 female members, the highest recorded to date.
Furthermore, the assembly is also seeing its oldest age profile ever. Four percent of members are over 70 years old, the highest in the state’s history. The average age of assembly members has increased from 49 in 2009 to 54 in 2024.
About 40% of current members are between the ages of 56 and 70. The number of younger members, aged 25 to 40, has dropped. Only 8% of MLAs belong to this group, down from 14% in the last term.
Educational qualifications among members have also increased. More legislators now hold advanced degrees than in previous years. In 2014, 13% of MLAs had postgraduate qualifications. That percentage has now grown to 17%.
Similarly, 42% of MLAs are graduates, up from 40% a decade ago. The data also reveals the professional backgrounds of assembly members. About 86% are from business or agricultural backgrounds. The remaining members have careers in politics, social work, medicine, and law.
This shift in the assembly's makeup reflects changes in demographics, education, and professional diversity.
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