From Last Mile Delivery Enablers to Political Leaders—How Rural SHG Women in Tamil Nadu Use Convergence Scheme as a Pathway to Political Participation

Affirmative action under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act has provided rural women with reserved political spaces in various tiers of Panchayat Raj Institutions, thus catalysing their participation in local democracy not just as vote banks but also as elected representatives. Several studies have unpacked the constraints and enabling factors that impact the effectiveness of women’s political participation. However, over the years, rural women have started using various pathways to build political constituencies to gain access to these reserved spaces. One such avenue is the Self-Help Group movement that provides exclusive space for rural women’s social and economic empowerment which in turn has begun to manifest as political empowerment. Further, “Convergence”, one of the salient features of the State Rural Livelihood Mission, has provided rural SHG women with a new pathway to political participation. Based on a qualitative study of Trichy and Thiruvannamalai districts in Tamil Nadu, we show that while the SHG women helped in the state-wide implementation of the schemes, their involvement also led to their political empowerment. However, despite utilising these opportunities rural women continue to face everyday conflicts due to the entrenched caste and patriarchal structures that hamper their effectiveness as political leaders.