Abstract
Women's political participation has been marginal worldwide. In some countries, state-sponsored affirmative action to increase women's representation and participation in the public sphere has been attempted with varied results. This paper traces the history of the debate on such affirmative action for women in India from the early years of this century to the present day through colonial and post-colonial contexts. Women's groups have played a vital role in pressing for or refusing to agree to special measures. The contemporary Indian women s movement (that was resurrected with full force in the 1970s) supports the entry of women in reserved seats in decision-making bodies in order to give them a head start. Although there was little opportunity for this at the local level, legislation to ensure women's entry into one-third seats in state and national bodies has been obstructed. A long struggle lies ahead for Indian women.
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