India Politicians Woo Increasingly Important Women Voters

But appeal sometimes misses the mark

By: Neeta Lal

With assembly elections looming in five Indian states – Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Manipur, and Goa – political parties are assiduously courting a constituency they largely ignore the rest of the year: women voters.

Free gifts dangled in front of them range from hard cash to free electric scooters to mobile phones, gas cylinders, an…