Getting Foothold in Politics

Abstract

This is how the song sung for the first time by “Toiling Women’s Liberation Movement” members in the late seventies ended. It represented the gusto of a newly formed mass organisation of tribal women of Dhulia district (Vibhuti Patel, 1987).

It became popular among the women’s groups not only in Maharashtra but also all over India. This song represented the new understanding of ‘politics’. Politics as not only electoral politics or membership of political parties, but as collective action of women against oppressive patriarchal power with a long term goal of social transformation that ensured women’s liberation from exploitation, degradation, injustice, subjugation and superstition, casteism and communalism.

Keywords: Political Participation, Social Movements, Leadership, Reservation of Seats, PRIs- LSGs, Voters, Candidates

JEL Classification: Z18