The men contesting India's general election are vying for female voters, but the paltry number of female candidates shows the battle women face in Indian politics — as in so much else in Indian life.

When not trading barbs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his political archrival, Rahul Gandhi, have both promised a safer life and new opportunities to the women who form almost half the nation's electorate.

Yet the female reality looks far less rosy.