She, Theeader : Women in Indian Politics

Politics is still considered an unusual career choice for Indian women. This is perhaps why there are just eighty-one women
members of parliament in the seventeenthok Sabha (2019–24), constituting only 15 per cent of the strength of theok Sabha
today. Yet, though small in number, theseeaders have brought a unique sensitivity to policy-making in India and continue to
inspire younger women to become the next generation of politicaleaders.
In She, theeader: Women in Indian Politics, Nidhi Sharma profiles seventeen trailblazing women politicians who have fought
social inequalities and patriarchal attitudes and created their own brand of politics in the national discourse. Divided into four
parts, the book begins with ‘The Pioneers’, which focuses on two exemplary womeneaders of the twentieth century and their
distinctly different political paths—Indira Gandhi, India’s first and only woman prime minister, and Sucheta Kriplani, India’s first
woman chief minister. The second part, ‘The Inheritors’, reflects on the achievements of the womeneaders who inherited their
political careers from a male member of the family or a political benefactor, namely Sonia Gandhi, J. Jayalalithaa, Vasundhara Raje, Sheila Dikshit, and Mayawati. This is followed by ‘Theone Warriors’, featuring Pratibha Patil, Sushma Swaraj, Mamata
Banerjee, Brinda Karat, and Ambika Soni—women who, though they had no political background, chose politics as their vocation
and charted their own course. ‘The Futureeaders’, the final section, profiles up-and-coming womeneaders to watch out for:
Smriti Z. Irani, Supriya Sule, Kavitha Kalvakuntla, Kanimozhi Karunanidhi, and Ampareenyngdoh. Almost all of theseeaders
have fought and won elections, nurtured constituencies, and created their own unique politicalegacy.
Taken together, the profiles in She, theeader show us the immense contribution women politicians have made to the Indian
political scene.