Rajya Sabha Highlights India’s Global Model of Women’s Participation in Governance at CSPOC Conference

The Deputy Chairman noted that India’s governance framework has acquired global relevance due to the institutional and constitutional inclusion of women, particularly at the local level.

The Hon’ble Deputy Chairman, Rajya Sabha, today addressed the Lightning Round Session of the 28th Conference of Speakers and Presiding Officers of the Commonwealth (CSPOC) in New Delhi, underscoring India’s experience of women’s participation across its three-tier system of governance as a globally significant democratic model.

Speaking on the theme “Women’s Contribution to India’s Three-Tier System of Governance”, the Deputy Chairman shared India’s lived experience of women’s leadership across Parliament at the Union level, State Legislatures, and Local Self-Government institutions, rooted in the country’s constitutional framework of vertical power-sharing among the Centre, States and grassroots institutions.

Constitutional Foundations of Women’s Political Participation

The Deputy Chairman noted that India’s governance framework has acquired global relevance due to the institutional and constitutional inclusion of women, particularly at the local level. He observed that women’s participation strengthens democratic legitimacy and leads to improved governance outcomes.

He highlighted that India’s journey of women’s political participation is deeply embedded in its civilisational ethos, where deliberative assemblies and collective decision-making historically witnessed meaningful participation by women.

Referring to constitutional evolution, he noted that women were enfranchised in several provinces as early as the 1920s, well before Independence. With the adoption of universal adult franchise in 1950, India ensured political equality from the very inception of the Republic.

Local Governance as the Engine of Women’s Leadership

The Deputy Chairman emphasised the transformative impact of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments, which mandated one-third reservation for women in rural and urban local bodies in the early 1990s. He noted that this has since been enhanced to 50 per cent reservation in rural local bodies by over two-thirds of States, and in urban local bodies by nearly half the States.

Citing observations made by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, the Deputy Chairman highlighted that nearly 1.5 million women currently serve as elected representatives in local self-governing institutions, describing it as the largest experiment in women’s political representation anywhere in the world.

For many women—particularly from rural and marginalised communities—local governance institutions serve as the first entry point into public life, he said, adding that this unprecedented scale of participation is translating into tangible improvements in governance.

Improved Outcomes Through Women-Led Governance

The Deputy Chairman observed that studies and field experience show that women-led local bodies demonstrate higher levels of transparency, monitoring and accountability. Due to their close engagement with communities, he noted, leakages are reduced and government schemes reach beneficiaries more effectively.

He said women leaders consistently prioritise safe drinking water, sanitation, primary healthcare, education, nutrition and social welfare delivery, and that increasing participation across all three tiers of governance has shifted the national discourse from women’s development to women-led development.

From Grassroots to National Leadership

Women’s participation in local governance, the Deputy Chairman noted, has challenged traditional gender roles and created a pipeline of experienced leaders who advance to State Legislatures and Parliament. Many have gone on to serve as Ministers, Speakers, Chief Ministers and Presiding Officers, including in the country’s highest constitutional offices.

Referring to recent reforms, he highlighted the passage of the 106th Constitutional Amendment — the Nari Shakti Vandan Adhiniyam, which provides 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha and State Legislative Assemblies, calling it a reaffirmation of India’s long-term commitment to gender balance in parliamentary representation.

Lessons for the Commonwealth

Summarising India’s experience, the Deputy Chairman outlined three key lessons:

• Local governance provides a sustainable entry point for women’s leadership

• Diversity and scale are not barriers to inclusion

• Women’s leadership improves governance outcomes, not just representation statistics

For the Commonwealth, he said India’s experience reinforces the shared conviction that inclusive parliaments are stronger parliaments, and that democracies flourish when women participate as equal partners in governance.