Women and Electoral Politics in Nagaland: The Cultural Dynamics

Against the backdrop that Nagaland remains the only state in India that is yet to produce a single woman legislator in the state assembly; this paper aims to examine the electoral practices that have come up in Nagaland based on their cultural ethos. The major focus of this work will be on the importance of traditional practices of the Nagas as a predominantly tribal society leading to the outcome of the structure. The structure in this case is electoral politics of Nagaland. Based on a case study report, the Naga culture is perceived to be the vehicle for continuation of the prevailing social and political system that keeps women in subservience to men when it comes to leadership roles in public spheres. No doubt, the Nagas have adopted modern democracy as their polity. However, democracy as practiced by the Nagas cannot be totally related in terms of the western liberal democracy as it is a community-based democracy. The domination of Naga culture on the democratic processes among the Nagas is evident in all aspects of their lives, making electoral politics in Nagaland different from the other states of India, though very much a part of India.