Women In Indian Politics

g out its activities. The decision making power always vests on men!!
Moreover, the candidates fielded by the parties are mostly men and the
women presence accounts only to 5-10 %. The Congress party with a woman
as president which backs the bill has only a minimal of 10% women
candidates.
There are women who played and are playing a significant role in the Indian
Politics. The most prominent woman Ms. Indra Gandhi is a clear example.
There are people like Sonia Gandhi, Vasundhra Raje and also like Sushma
Swaraj, Mamta Banerjee, Uma Bharathi . The former are people who come
from a rich political background and their voices are highly heard than the
latter. However, Ms. Jayalalitha and Ms. Mayawati were able to make a jay
with jaal………The women in India are more committed to becoming house
wives and better mothers than involving themselves in politics.
Politics and leadership requires an enigmatic charisma. Most of the women
candidates find it difficult to establish themselves even within the party until
they present themselves a “Bahus or Betis” from a rich political background.
This results in “leaders without excellence”. The passing and approval of the
Reservation Bill or giving equal priority alone is not the criteria but the
elegance and prowess of the women that matters. This is a clear indication of
the Indian politics requiring a giant leap. Finally, “It is not with the gender but a
politics with a minimum blunder”.
Sowmiya. R

Women In Indian Politics

Role of Women in Indian Politics

The ink-stained polls of the world's largest democracy have delivered their
verdict and India waits with bated breath to learn whether Prime Minister
Manmohan Singh's second administration will be different than the first. While
India exults after yet another peacefully concluded election, one question
remains: What is the role of women in Indian politics? The answer is both big
and small. Typical of India, it contains contradictions.
On one hand, India falls in the lowest quartile with respect to the number of
women in parliment (9.1%,14th loksabha). Even Rawanda (56.7%), south
Africa (44.5%), Mozambique (34.8%) and many others have much more
women representatives, according to the UN's 2008 survey of women in
politics. That said the recently concluded 15th Lok Sabha elections have
delivered a record 59 women as members of Parliament, the highest since
independence, raising their parliamentary participation to 10.7%. Seventeen of
these women are under 40. And representation of women leaders at the
grassroots level in India is nearly 50%, especially since the passing of the 73rd
amendment of 1992, which allotted one-third of all seats to women. The
panchayati raj, that bedrock of rural government, has fostered more and more
women participants and leaders. (A panchayat is a five-person elected village
council.) Some states, like Karnataka, had inducted women into rural politics
even before it was mandated by the constitution. Several states, including
Madhya Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, Bihar and most recently, Uttarkhand,
have allotted not just the required 33% of panchayat seats for women but
increased it to 50%.
Hullabaloo over the participation of women is made over the Constitution (84th
Amendment) Bill relating to women's reservation since from 1998.The problem
of Indian politics is that reservation is made for women but women are not
included in these policies. The country’s ruling party Congress, led by a
woman and supposedly pushing for reservation for women till recently had 10
per cent of women among the candidates announced so far. For the BJP the
proportion of women candidates is even lower at 7 per cent. Even in the case
of the Communist Party of India (Marxist), only 7 per cent of the candidates are
women. It is not that women are not provided major work in politics but most
often, indeed, they are relegated to the "women's wing" of the party, and made
to concentrate on what are seen as specifically "women's issues" such as
dowry and rape cases, and occasionally on more general concerns like price
rise which are seen to affect especially "housewives".
Women leaders can be classified broadly into two groups

1)Pallu groups or dynastic groups (Sonia Gandhi,Vasundhara Raje Scindhia,

Amma, Rabri Devi,Sheila dixit) having family ties.
2) Hysterical group: Mamta, Mayawati, Sushma Swaraj, Uma Bharti In this is
broad generalization some have been left like Krishna tirath etc.
Among the Pallu groups the name which is most revered or has became
synonymous with Indian politics is Sonia Gandhi ,leaving her most of other
pallu group members aren’t able to set their foothold ,this also clear by
example of Vadsundhra Raje who has been made scapegoat after the loss of
BJP in state assembly and lok sabha elections.Also Amma and Rabri are
craving for power.
Talking of hysterical group on one hand Mayawati stands out clear winner as a
women who relies on vote bank of dalits , and is CM of most populated state of
country . Conversely, some like Mamta Banerjee are never able to outgrow
their rebel image and have become more or less a relic in the changed political
situation. The most interesting thing is that the Pallu group is no pushover.
Sushma Swaraj is like is Rahul dravid of Indian team who never got what they
deserved but ,still she also showed her immaturity in politics when she
“threatened to shave off her head if Sonia had became the PM?”
What does seem to be the case is that - barring striking exceptions where
dynastic charisma is seen to matter more than anything else - most women
politicians have found it difficult to rise within party hierarchies, and have
managed to achieve clear leadership only when they have effectively broken
out and set up parties on their own. Yet once these women become
established as leaders, another peculiarly Indian characteristic seems to
dominate - that is the unquestioning acceptance by the (largely male) party
rank and file of the leader's decisions. One thing that is missing here is the
name of a woman from rural areas or from a general house .But why is it so
……………? Reason is that general housewife focus on three issues:
healthcare, education, and the funds to make these two things happen. Future
of women politicians
That brings us to the larger question — the future of women politicians in India.
Is it too much of a coincidence that the women who really do well in politics are
only those who head political parties? After all, can anybody dictate terms to
the Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati or the AIADMK supreme,
J.Jayalalithaa, or Trinamool Congress chief Mamata Banerjee? As for Ms
Sonia Gandhi, well, she runs nothing less than a political empire where the
Congress Party is concerned! If we take other parties, particularly in the Hindi
heartland, it will take a lot of effort to even recall the names of prominent
women politicians. A woman playing a prominent role in Mulayam Singh’s
Samajwadi Party? Forget it. Lalu Prasad’s RJD got a woman chief minister in
the form of Rabri Devi for very obvious reasons — when Lalu faced corruption
charges and had to step down, he could trust none other than his wife Rabri.
That she did not even know the ABC of politics mattered. The lack of both
education and political training of any sort was clearly evident in the kind of
language she used and the charges she made against the Bihar Chief Minister
Nitish Kumar during the Lok Sabha election campaign. Ms Jaya Jaitley’s tryst
with the Janata Dal (U) was a passing phase and she has faded into oblivion.
Today the party is led by Mr Sharad Yadav, famous for his balkati quote. Such
obnoxious comments are not generally forgotten but for those with a short
memory, Mr Yadav had protested against women’s reservation in legislatures
by saying that if this was done, the legislatures would be dominated only by the
balkati or women with short hair! Answer to such comment should be given in
the way as thatcher did : I don't mind how much my ministers talk," baroness
Margaret Thatcher once said, "as long as they do what I say.(uk’s former pm)
Women empowerment
More and more entities are recognizing the power of micro-loans and how they
can elevate an entire segment of society. And the route to the underserved is
frequently through women, thanks to models based on Grameen Bank and
others. Chennai-based Equitas, for instance, only works with women. In
March, The Indus Entrepreneurs (TiE) launched Shree Shakti, a platform for
training women entrepreneurs at all levels of Indian society. Goldman Sachs's
ambitious "10,000 Women" program aims to train and develop women
entrepreneurs across the globe by pairing them with resources in the West. In
all these cases, women serve as the lynchpin for programs, whether they are
rural Self Help Groups (SHG) or global programs that aspire to foster
entrepreneurship.
The good news, at least in India, is that these microfinance initiatives are
reaching bigger swathes of the underserved. The Indian School of
Microfinance for Women (ISMW), for instance, goes one step deeper into the
problem. Based in Ahmedabad and chaired by social activist and SEWA
founder Ela Bhatt, the school recognizes that borrowing money is only one part
of the triangle. Among other things, the school teaches women how to deal
with the money they borrow through capacity building workshops, networking
and providing knowledge resources. Simply put, it takes Goldman Sachs's
global vision for women entrepreneurs and translates it into a deeper regional
focus. The school's website lists 'hand-holding' as one of its goals. Participants
of micro-credit schemes are taught financial planning and investing techniques
that they can use on the ground and in their business.
Vipul Pandey

Women In Indian Politics

It has been long since women have stepped out of their homes and have
gained eminent positions and status in almost every field of society, then be it
education or corporate world or Politics. Talking about India women has been
involved in politics since ages. The very first name of a woman in Indian
politics who became a torch leader for other women was Razia Sultan. She
was the only woman to have ruled Delhi ever. Another name that needs a
special mention is Nur Jehan (wife of the mughal emperor Jehangir) she was
considered the real force behind the mughal throne during the mughal reign.
The role of women in Indian politics witnessed in ancient India widened more
in British India. Annie Besant though was not an Indian but became the first
women president of Indian National Congress (INC) in 1915. In 1916 she
launched a Home League Movement to fight for Indians and actively
participated in Indian Independence Movement. Then there was Sarojini Naidu
who became the first Indian woman to be the president of INC in 1925 and
became the Governor of United Provinces (present Uttar Pradesh) on 15 Aug
1947.The status of women in Indian politics was never more significant than
after independence. This golden era for women in Indian politics started with
the name of Mrs. Vijayalakshmi Pandit. She was an active worker in Indian
Nationalist Movement and was the first Indian to be elected the president of
UN General Assembly in 1953. Then came Sucheta Kriplani who became
Chief Minister of UP in 1963. The most important name in the category of
women politicians came in 1966 and that was Mrs. Indira Gandhi. She became
the first woman Prime Minister of India in 1966 and made the world stop and
notice the immense potential of women.
Today as per 73rd and 74th amendment acts, all local elected bodies reserve
1/3rd of their seats for women. The names such as Mamta Banerjee,
J.Jayalalitha, Uma Bharti, Vasundhara Raje Sindhia, Sushma Swaraj, Rabdi
Devi, Mayawati and last but not the least the two young MP’s Agatha Sangma
and Supriya Sule are the well known politicians. Mrs. Sheila Dikshit have been
elected the CM of Delhi 3rd time, Mrs. Pratibha Devi Singh Patil is holding the
post of the President of the biggest democracy in the world and Mrs. Sonia
Gandhi following the footsteps of her mother in law is heading INC the party
ruling the nation. Though today the number of female politicians is less as
compared to male politicians but they seem to be standing at more dominant
and powerful positions. At last I would like to conclude with a quote “In politics,
if you want anything said, ask a man. If u want anything done, ask a woman.”
Archana Parashar

Women In Indian Politics

In today’s era of modernization women have made their presence felt in almost
every field and Politics is no exception. Although India is known for its male
chauvinist societies since ages, the ice is now gradually breaking. Indian politics
is now defined and governed by majority of women politicians. The current
parliament has seen the highest number of female candidates in its history. All the
major parties have strong ‘women wings’ which has a huge impact on large
number of women voters and also allures women to join the political parties. On
the grass root level women seats are reserved in Panchayats and they actively
participate in the decision making. World’s respectable magazines like Forbes
have put some of the Indian Political women in their list of more powerful women.
Big Names: After Indira Gandhi’s demise there was no big woman name in the
Indian Political arena for almost a decade. But today this picture has changed and
Indian women have come out of their ‘sari-dhoti’ image and entrap the Political
world by their power and hard work. Sonia Gandhi is the live example of the same
and she is now an inspiration for millions of Indian women. It is by her sheer hard
work and dedication that she has not only learnt the Hindi language but manages
the Congress party to perfection that today she is the epitome of Indian Politics.
Smt. Mamta Banerjee is the next big name; she has managed to break the jinx of
Communist Party in Bengal who has ruled there for more than half the century.
She is the Railway minister of India and is working hard to improve the image of
Indian railway. Smt. Mayawati who is the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and
president of the Bahujan Samaj Party is the most influential name in the Indian
Politics. Smt. Sushma Swaraj is another very big name in the Indian Politics and
she influentially holds the key position in Bhartiya Janta Party.
Union Ministers: Indian Women are no more restricted to ‘chauka-chuhla’ image
but are actively handling big portfolios in the Indian cabinet. Smt. Ambika Soni-
Minister of Information and Broadcasting, Kumari Selja is holding two
departments namely Minister of Housing and Urban Poverty Alleviation and
Minister of Tourism, Smt. Krishna Tirath- Minister of State (Independent Charge)
of the Ministry of Women and Child Development, Smt. D.Purandeswari- Minister
of State in the Ministry of Human Resource Development, Smt. Panabaka
Lakshmi- Minister of State in the Ministry of Textiles are some examples of
women successfully managing important positions.
The President and Speaker: Smt. Pratibha Devisingh Patil is the first women
President of India and is actively working for the upliftment of Indian women. The
year 2009 witnessed the History written moments when Smt. Mira Kumar became
the first Indian women to hold the office of the Lok Sabha Speaker. She is an ex-
IFS officer and hails from the Bhojpuri land clearly indicating the women power in
politics.
Key Leaders: Apart from the above mentioned names, there are also many key
leaders who redefined the local state politics. Leaders like Smt. Vasundhra Raje
Scindia, Smt. Shruti Chaudhari, Smt. Meneka Gandhi worked hard and broke the
family barriers and come into active politics and made their mark. Smt. J
Jayalalitha, Smt. Uma Bharti, Smt. Renuka Chaudhary and Smt. Brinda Karat
hold key positions in their Political Parties and actively taking them higher and
since the last decade they remain key players in forming the collation government
at center. The chief minister of Delhi, Smt. Sheela Dixit who won the post three
consecutive times is solely responsible for the face change of Delhi.
Political Power: The power of politics has influenced women from various fields.
Many successful actresses of Hindi film industry have attracted towards political
arena and are now members of Parliament. Hemamalini, Jaya Bachchan,
Jayaprada are well known faces of the Indian Parliament. Politics is now attracting
women from all shares and they are actively participating in it.
Youth Power: The youth has seen it as a career option and the trends are
changing day by day. Many young politicians have evolved and have won by
huge margins. Smt. Kiran Chaudhary, Ms. Agatha Sangma, Harsimrat Kaur
Badal, Supriya Sule and Priya Dutt, are the upcoming faces of the Indian politics.
Indirect involvement of women in politics is also increasing pace. Faces like
Priyanka Gandhi become visible only during election times and leave a deep
impression on voters.
Panchayats and Student Politics: Indian Panchayat system has the
reservations for women and it has become a great platform for the welfare of
women and making the poor and village women’s to come forward and share their
views for the betterment of Indian villages. Mass involvement of female workers in
college and university elections is also proving a boon for the large political
structure.
Challenges: Despite the improving participation of women in Indian Politics, there
are some bigger challenges which still need to be worked upon. The pity state of
women still lays unnoticed in many areas and it has been often seen that the male
candidates uses them as mere puppets and the reservations in Panchayats are
sometimes become camouflage and the women remain just the face and power is
enjoyed by their counterparts. The number of seats in current parliament is just
10%, this has to be increased to a significant level. ‘Women Reservation Bill’ is
pending since ages and no discussion takes place for the same. It has been often
seen that the women with some glamorous background are given backdoor
entries whereas a large number of women spend their lives struggling to get to
the deserving seat.
Lastly, it can be said that the image and involvement of women in Indian Politics
has increased by many folds and some of them have successfully reached the top
posts but a lot more has to be done in order to increase their presence, works
towards the betterment of the women society and taking India parallel to the
world’s developed countries.
Jagdeep S More