Political Participation of Dalits in India

Dalits in India, officially termed scheduled castes, form the largest discriminated community. Their discrimination is based, first, on their descent or birth into specific untouchable castes, and secondly, on their traditional polluting work. As a result, although almost one in five Indians is a Dalit, half of whom are women, their political participation as a large minority community in India remains disproportionately low. Looking specifically at Dalit Women, the current Indian Lower House of Parliament has only 12 Dalit women MPs, a mere 22% of Parliamentarians. In its consideration of the Government of India’s report in 2007, the Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination noted its concern over the under representation of Dalits in all levels of government.