Kerala's local body elections are heating up with a dazzling show of women power! This time, a staggering 16,589 women from the famous Kudumbashree network are contesting. They form nearly 42% of the total 39,609 women candidates in the fray. The secret behind this surge? Kerala’s smart laws! Since 2009, the Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipality Act have reserved 50% seats for women. This smart move gave women a bigger voice in local development. Political parties now love picking Kudumbashree women because they have great chances to win. Among these spirited women, about 75% (12,347) are members of Neighbourhood Groups (NHGs). Kozhikode leads the pack with 1,396 NHG women candidates, closely followed by Thiruvananthapuram with 1,321. The smallest NHG presence is in Idukki, with just 229 women candidates. At the higher level of Kudumbashree—the Community Development Societies (CDSs)—227 chairpersons are ready for battle. Palakkad shines with 26 CDS chairpersons contesting, while Kasaragod has the fewest with seven. Next up, 1,985 CDS members are also in the race. Thrissur leads their numbers with 634 candidates, while Malappuram comes second far behind with 165. Representing the middle rung, 1,898 Area Development Society (ADS) members are contesting. Alappuzha tops here with 348 candidates, followed by Thrissur with 267. The youth power of Kudumbashree is clear with 132 Auxiliary Group members standing for elections. Alappuzha hosts the most with 25 candidates, while Malappuram follows with 21. District-wise, Alappuzha has the highest total Kudumbashree women candidates at 1,735. Thiruvananthapuram and Ernakulam trail close behind with 1,648 and 1,634 respectively. The lowest number is in Idukki with 269 women. Special mention goes to Attappady, where 34 Kudumbashree women are contesting as part of the Attappady Special Project. This includes 24 NHG members, nine ADS members, and two CDS members. Looking back, in 2020, 16,864 Kudumbashree women contested, and in 2015, 15,863 participated. Clearly, the Kudumbashree spirit is growing stronger, lighting up Kerala's political scene with women’s power and determination!