India is a kaleidoscope of contrasts. While there is no denying in the fact that India lags behind many countries, including its neighbours Pakistan and Bangladesh, when it comes to women's participation in politics. However, we have four women chief ministers at present. At the same time we have a woman President Pratibha Patil and Congress supremo Sonia Gandhi at the helm of affairs in the country.

With representation of women in Lok Sabha at only 11 per cent and 10.7 per cent in the Rajya Sabha, there are plenty of problems that women face in politics. The political parties are hesitant in backing them; only lip service has been paid. The Women's Reservation Bill is a case in point. All political parties have been reluctant to gamble with seats. But yes, we have seen some great women politicians in Sonia Gandhi, Mamata Banerjee, Mayawati, Shiela Dikshit, etc.

Sonia Gandhi entered politics after much prodding by the Congress. After Rajiv Gandhi's assassination in 1991, she was invited by the Indian Congress Party to take over the Congress but she flatly refused. Finally, she agreed to join politics in 1997 and in 1998, she was elected as the leader of the Congress. Since then, Gandhi has been its President and has also served as the Chairperson of the ruling United Progressive Alliance in the Lok Sabha since 2004. In September 2010, she was again re-elected for the fourth time and became the longest serving president in the 125-year history of the Congress party.

Referred to as Didi by followers, Mamata Banerjee pulled off a landslide victory for the All Trinamool Congress in the West Bengal Assembly elections of 2011 and brought an end to 34 years of Left rule in the state. She is the 11th and current Chief Minister of West Bengal. She is the first woman Chief Minister of the state. She had earlier served twice as a Railway Minister, as Minister of Coal, Minister of State for Human Resource Development, Department of Youth Affairs and Sports and Women and Child Development in the Union Government.

Mayawati aka Behenji, the current Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, is in her fourth term in this office. At the age of 39, she became the youngest politician to be elected Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh and the first Dalit-woman Chief Minister of any state in India. She is a political inspiration for millions of Dalits who were oppressed by the upper castes people for centuries.

Other prominent figures in the Indian politics are Ambika Soni, Renuka Chowdary, Sushma Swaraj, Jayalalitha, Menaka Gandhi, etc. However, the role of women is very restricted unless one has the heritage advantage (Sonia Gandhi). Rabri Devi, Laloo's wife, as former CM of Bihar was nothing but in fact a pawn in the hands of Laloo. Such women leaders are never allowed to take independent decisions. The rough and tumble of political life is another discouraging factor for women.

Politics in India is full of criminal elements and hence women have to go all out to take drastic decisions which may affect their families. Systematic reforms are the need of the hour without which all the cries for reservation of seats for women have very little meaning.

India should work towards empowering women economically and also encourage greater participation of women leaders in panchayats, or village councils. Even the rise of Indian women as panchayat leaders is a spectacular achievement given that India has one of the worst records with respect to the way it treats the female sex. Even birth is a hurdle, thanks to widespread female infanticide.

Nothing comes for free and it's high time Indian women realise this. They have to fight for the status and position they want for themselves in politics. Women must do battle for the bills they want passed and the constituencies they serve. In short, they must learn the games of power.

Team MSN She