The paper examines feminist politics in India and the various issues with which they have been engaged. The two issues that divide women and inhibit alliances among the women’s movements are the Uniform Civil Code, and the reservation of seats for women in Parliament and state legislatures....

Affirmative action has enabled the representation of women in panchayats and enhanced their political status in local government. While they now possess authority through being incumbents of elective positions, this has not been translated into power (i.e. the ability to actually effect...

Cultural and social exclusion from the political system resulted in women and other disadvantaged sections of population being alienated from politics and governance. The reservation of seats in local governance has offered women new political space and an opportunity to participate in...

Despite the political inclusion of Scheduled Tribe women in panchayats and the claims to equality of opportunity in political participation, the political marginalisation of Scheduled Tribe women continues. Political exclusion is a consequence of their exclusion at the macro and micro levels of...

The representation of women in the institutions of local government has been facilitated through affirmative action, where one-third of the seats have been reserved for women. This raises issues related to the representation of gender interests and the constraints on such representation. The...

The paper examines issues related to citizenship and political participation of dalit women. The disadvantages of caste, class and gender and the exclusionary mechanisms entrenched in hierarchical social relations have had differential outcomes for dalit women in citizenship and politics. The...