Maharanis in a Democracy & the Royal Dynastic Route for Women’s Representation 11 8
Vijayaraje Scindia and Gayatri Devi
Keywords:
Political Dynasties, Politics of presence, royal patron-clientelism, political capital, representation, emergencyAbstract
Women’s representation in the Indian Parliament has been abysmally low, more so in the Lok Sabha with only about 5 percent women Members of Parliament till the 1970s. The same applied to the state legislatures too. However, amongst the few female MPs in the legislature, a good number came from erstwhile princely families. While the 106th Constitution Amendment Act, 2023 provides for one-third reservation for women in the Union and State legislatures, earlier the royal dynastic roots also provided opportunities to women in these institutions. Two such female leaders emerged in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, with contrasting personalities namely Rajmata Vijayaraje Scindia and Maharani Gayatri Devi, respectively. The article traces their political trajectory and the ways in which they navigated their journey being in opposition party (to the dominant party, Congress). Theoretical reasons for the continuation of dynasties in electoral democracies has also been briey analyed.
