Women in Indian Politics

Long debate over whether women in India are a political under-class or not. Women, though I still believe are a political minority by every definition in the book, but it seems like (though in quite a few years) things may start to look good for them.

If you would see with regards to numerical minority, they comprise just under 8%(or 40 of the 543) of the parliament today; and comprise totally just under 10% of all state assemblies.

Sonia Gandhi & Sheila Dikshit

Most women who are considered the for-bearers of the torch of women liberation at the higher positions even amongst these few a number are all at their postion thanks to nepotism(Sonia Gandhi, Sheila Dikshit, Rabri Devi, Vasundhara Raje etc) or by virtue of having been a male politician's mistress(Mayawati, Jayalalitha).

Most of them belong to an elite class, which does in no way reflect how women have it up there. They alone (even if we assume most tried) have not been able to change too much for the ordinary women's path upward.

Its been over 14 years since such 'strong' women supposedly started pushing for the Women Reservation Bill; but are yet to achieve any headway. What does that mean?

They are a minority even in respect to the amount of clout or influence they hold for basic women political rights.

Khaleda Zia & Sheikh Hasina

Sheikh Hasina and Khaleda Zia, both stalwart women politicians and daughters of the founding fathers of Bangladesh, did in no ways depict the real condition of women in Bangladesh, or their social/political rights. Women till today are considered 2nd class citizens there, and forget their election to public office even a girl's birth is yet not looked as a happy affair; as it is one of the criteria which allows a man to remarry.

Thank God, India is much better off in the status of women than them, but what the above example clearly shows is that by just having some elitist strong women at the top, does in no way show the strength of ordinary women in politics or that they are not a political minority. Women have it much tougher up the political chain even today, than a man ever could.

The fact is that being a social minority, automatically entails you to be a political minority. The two are not as unrelated as it may seem; the same principle applies here what applies for being a social minority, where men do all they can to not let women up on an equal platform even on the political sphere (like in social sphere). Which is what we witness whenever the Women Reservation Bill has been blocked dozens of times(with all sorts of excuses) after being introduced in the last 14 years.

Sushma Swaraj

Having said that there are some women who have come up the chain without the support of nepotism like Sushma Swaraj, Renuka Chowdhay. But they are too few a number to really show any sort of progress of women equality in politics.

There also are a few women politicians who are doing all they can for women empowerment even with all these obstacles, and there seems to be some ray of hope and future looks kind of bright as the social status of women also gets uplifted, Swaraj during her time did manage through the NDA a reservation of 33 per cent of the seats atleast in panchayats for women.

Gathering of Panchayat women leaders

Before this policy, they did not even have women prepared or ready for leadership positions; but now as a result of the policy, political parties have to search for women. Most men did not want women to come forward, so they have put forward their wives, sisters-in-law and mothers(just as we had seen sometimes even in national politics). But talented, educated women though not a large number, also have came forward.

Because now the women who would eventually serve as mayors and as chairmen of the municipal committees will be groomed as prospective candidates for legislative assemblies and eventually the parliament. Long shot... but, it is very much achievable.

There is still some time before women truly are able to consolidate themselves in the State and country assemblies, as a force to reckon with. Until then the ordinary woman would unfortunately continue to remain an under-class in politics.