BARRIERS TO WOMEN IN POLITICS: CANDIDATE SELECTION AND INFORMAL PARTY POLITICS IN INDIA

Abstract

This dissertation examines the internal party dynamics of two major parties in India that contribute to the persistent underrepresentation of women in Indian national politics. I compare and investigate the processes and informal practices of candidate selection in two major parties: Indian National Congress (INC) and the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP). Based on original candidate data and semi-structured elite interviews, I examine the factors that constrained women's nominations in the national elections held in India between 2004 and 2019. Drawing on mixed-methods research, I find that centralized formal selectorates and selection methods limit opportunities for women, alongside the marginalization of subsidiary women’s organizations by both parties, thereby constraining women’s candidacy. Despite ideological differences, both the parties reinforce underlying patriarchal norms by limiting the role of subsidiary women's organizations from the candidate selection processes. The underrepresentation of women in the formal selectorate restricts their ability to shape nominations and curtail opportunities for women candidates for both general and reserved seats in the national elections. My findings show that underlying gender biases among party elites, who prioritize informal traits that reinforce existing power structures in parties and marginalize women who do not fit these criteria. For general seats, both the parties tend to prefer women candidates who have wealth, dynastic connections, criminal cases, and higher education. As for the reserved seats, the INC tend to favor wealthy, dynastic, and highly-educated women candidates, while the BJP tend to prefer women candidates with wealth, criminal cases, and higher-education. This dissertation reveals differing nomination patterns between the INC and BJP and distinct ideological stances in the less politically competitive reserved seats. The INC nominated more women candidates in reserved seats in the 2004 and 2019 elections, aligning with its inclusive ideology. Conversely, the BJP has not with its more traditional right-wing nationalist values. Overall, this dissertation finds that both candidate selection methods and informal party practices perpetuate gender disparities in political representation in India. By examining the opaque candidate selection processes through a gendered lens, this dissertation sheds light on the barriers women face for electoral candidacy in Indian national politics.