With the election schedule announced, attention now turns to the median voter, who will shape the Bengal, Assam, Kerala, and Tamil Nadu outcomes. This median voter is young, female, and aspires to a secure middle-class life. She is also open to joining shifting social coalitions, cutting across caste and religious divides. In most states, women now vote at rates comparable to, or higher than, men. Studies find that female voters across India respond more to institutionalised welfare delivery, than ideological rhetoric.

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