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This Week in AsiaPolitics

US election 2020: In India, Kamala Harris’ win sparks joy, puts spotlight on struggle for gender equality in politics

  • Female Indian politicians have welcomed the rise of the first woman US vice-president, as they struggle to make their mark in the male-dominated arena
  • The ruling BJP’s ideological fountainhead, the RSS, does not allow female members, and under PM Narendra Modi, crimes against women have soared

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Indian women gather to celebrate the victory of US vice president-elect Kamala Harris. Despite India first electing a female prime minister in 1966, women find it difficult to advance in the world of politics. Photo: Reuters
Sonia Sarkar
The election of the next US vice-president Kamala Harris, an American of Indian and Jamaican descent, has been described as “significant” and “awe-inspiring” by prominent female Indian politicians. But even as they celebrate Harris’ success, her victory has put the spotlight on India’s struggle for gender equality, especially in the political arena.
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Actress-politician Urmila Matondkar said women leaders should feel inspired by Harris’ tenacity and “self-trust”, adding that the election result was significant as it came at a time when the US was displaying its most racist and misogynistic face to the world.

Kavita Krishnan, a member of Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) (CPI-ML), said politicians should also look beyond Harris and take note of how other women of colour such as Georgia politician Stacey Abrams worked at the grass roots level to ensure President Donald Trump was defeated.

Women are psychologically much stronger than men and can do “better” in politics, said Uma Bharti, a former member of parliament for the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and one of the few women to rise to prominence in the party. But in India, women have to overcome major challenges to get there, she pointed out.

Bharti, a key BJP leader in the Ram Janmabhoomi movement in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya, is currently fighting speculation in political circles that she is not “physically fit” for active politics.

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