Political Participation of Transwomen Leadership in Decentralised Government: Social Impact Analysis Based on Select Case Studies of Women Leaders as Change Makers

Women have been incorporated into the decision-making process and development of local self-governance through the 73rd Constitution Amendment Act of 1992. In India, at least one-third of Panchayat members and chairpersons are women under this amendment. However, India lacks any guidelines on the participation of the transgender community in politics. Studies have proved that women face multiple barriers in their political journey due to entrenched patriarchy; trans-persons are more invisibilised and discriminated against. Political power enables voices and representation, but there is a lack of trans-voices in decision-making. Political participation of people from the transgender community is on the rise in many countries around the world. That India is no exception, with a growing number of trans-persons getting elected at the local and national levels—is a reflection of the increasing maturity of our republic and its democratic institutions. While civilised and democratic societies value equal political participation, trans-persons, especially trans-women politicians, often face unique challenges that their cisgender colleagues do not. This exploratory study, following feminist methodology, is primarily based on a qualitative analysis of case studies and in-depth interviews with transwomen politicians, who have successfully or otherwise ventured into politics.