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, be it education or corporate world or Politics. Indian 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 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.
Participants