Populist Revolt from the Margins: The Ambiguous Case of Uma Bharati

Abstract

ABTRACT Women are well-positioned to excel in populist leadership performances. Their displays of emotion appeal to gender stereotypes about female irrationality while challenging assumptions of female docility. Their expressions of gendered vulnerability and anger fuel majority victimization at supposed threats that people face from established elites, immigrants, minorities, and the ‘‘deep state.” However, populist parties have been inconsistent in supporting women’s exercise of power. This paper explores how, when, and why populist groups provide women leadership opportunities and encourage them to depart from conventional gender norms. It analyzes the trajectory of Uma Bharati, who played a key role in the ascent of India’s Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) when it metamorphosed from a conventional to a populist party in the early 1990s. However, Bharati’s relationship with the BJP became tumultuous by 2004 and has become strained in recent years. What constellation of forces catapulted Bharati into and out of power and what does her complex trajectory tells us about the fate of subaltern women leaders in Hindu nationalist populist India? A key factor is the alignment and misalignment of her personal characteristics with India’s changing political environment.