Impact of religion on political participation of rural women in Ballari taluka of Karnataka state-A case study of Kudathini village

In India religion is considered as an essential aspect of Indian tradition since centuries. Its accepted as a way of life of the people. For a majority of Indians, the day begins with religion and ends with it. Its influence on economic and political development cannot be over looked. The rural masses especially women are very sensitive to religious aspects. Taking this as an advantage the major and minor political parties exploit the voters and motivate them to vote for the candidates based on religion and caste leaving aside the socio-economic development of the nation. Though India is a secular country there are many instances where communal clashes are frequently occur. The religion imposes many do's and don't's in the lives of the people. The rural women are very particular about this. Religious traditions in majority of the cases restrict the women folk from actively participating in politics and many religions say that the political sphere is the duty of men folk and not of women. But, the development of the nation in this era of globalisation drastically needs the participation of both men and women in all spheres of life. The women should be encouraged to take appropriate decision to elect the representative government that safeguard their rights, develop them socially, economically, politically and culturally. The success of democracy depends on the active participation of both men and women. Religion should not be combined with politics and it should not be permitted to exploit the innocent by religious politics. Communal harmony should be encouraged and all possible steps should be taken to maintain and implement it throughout the country.