New Maharashtra Assembly is older and better educated, says PRS Legislative Research; number of women MLAs rises by two

The results of the Maharashtra Assembly polls were declared Thursday with the BJP winning 105 seats, the Shiv Sena netting 56 seats, the Congress winning 44 seats and the NCP winning 54 seats. A report by PRS Legislative Research — a non-profit based in New Delhi — which analysed data on the profiles of the incoming Members of Legislative Assembly (MLAs) and compared it to the previous Assembly, unearthed some interesting facts. Eighty-six percent of MLAs in the incoming 2019 Assembly are above the age of 40 compared to 2014 when 80 percent of MLAs were above the age of 40. Of all elected MLAs, only 15 percent are between the ages of 25 and 40, down from 20 percent in 2014. Thirty-four percent of MLAs are in between the ages of 56 and 70, up to nine percent from 2014. When it comes to gender, the number of elected women MLAs has risen by two in the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly election. The outgoing Assembly has 22 women MLAs. Twenty-four women, including two independents, made it to the new Maharashtra Legislative Assembly, half of whom are first-timers. As many as 14 women elected in the 21 October polling belong to the ruling BJP-Shiv Sena alliance. The BJP had fielded 17 women, of which 12 were elected. Its ally Shiv Sena had given tickets to eight women candidates, of which two emerged successful. Among the Opposition parties, the Congress fielded 14 women, of which five won, while the NCP had given tickets to eight women, of which three emerged victorious. Statistically speaking, 92 percent of elected MLAs are men and just eight percent women in 2019 as compared to 2014, when 93 percent of MLAs were men and just seven percent were women. Education-wise, the 2019 Maharashtra Assembly has more graduates and postgraduates with 57 percent of MLAs having at least a Bachelor’s Degree; 43 percent of MLAs studied up to Higher Secondary as compared to 47 percent in 2014, and 42 percent are graduates compared to 40 percent in 2014. With inputs from PTI