Sessions

Women's voting percentages in India have been steadily rising, even surpassing the percentage of male voters in some states. Political parties now often address women voters as a separate electoral constituency, and some have started allotting 30-40% tickets to women candidates in elections. These changes, however, have neither led to an adequate representation for women in legislative bodies nor has it stopped male politicians from making misogynist remarks in their speeches in recent elections. Against such a backdrop, this presentation will reflect the gendered vernaculars of politics in north India. Drawing on preliminary fieldwork carried out during elections in the state of Haryana, it discusses the manner in which women speak and are spoken about in public political spaces such as election rallies.