Abstract

Indian leaders and women’s organisations wanted to ensure that women would participate in and be elected to the legislatures in India’s first elections. Ultimately, however, only a small number of women were selected as candidates, and even fewer were elected to the legislatures. This article explores some of the mechanisms and ways in which this gap emerged in relation to the registration, representation and participation of women in the run-up to and during India’s first elections. In pursuing these three lines of inquiry, the article aims to shed light on the ways in which women related to and appropriated the notion of popular authorisation of the government, and what was their role, in this regard, in democratic state-building during the early days of the republic.

摘要

Indian leaders and women's organisations wanted to ensure that women would participate in and be elected to the legislatures in India's first elections. 然而，最终只有少数女性被选为候选人，而被选入立法机构的则更少。本文探讨了在印度第一次选举前和选举期间妇女在登记、代表和参与方面出现这种差距的一些机制和方式。在进行这三方面的调查时，本文旨在阐明妇女如何与政府的大众授权概念相关联并对其进行挪用，以及她们在这方面在民主国家建设中的作用是什么？ ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?共和国初期。