The India Women’s Caucus (IWC) is a group of non-partisan women who have joined hands
with the long-term goal of enabling more women to get elected as MLAs and MPs across parties.
After a successful pilot event in Goa in October this year, the IWC is organising a day-long
meeting on Saturday, December 8, 2018, at Hotel Chalukya in Bengaluru. The IWC is being
convened by Rajasree Nagarsekar, a journalist in Goa and Tara Krishnaswamy, co-founder of
Citizens for Bengaluru, author and activist.
Addressing the media at the Bangalore Press Club, Tara Krishnaswamy said, “The meeting of
the India Women’s Caucus is part of a larger sustained campaign we intend to begin. It is
unfortunate that women who have had great success as corporators and panchayat leaders are
unable to grow as the parties deny tickets for them. We need to work with political parties and
women candidates too. A resolution on the next steps towards the General Election of 2019
will be formulated through the event and released to the media at the close of the day.”
Vasanthi Hariprakash, a well-known journalist, asked the media to support the initiative.
“Women are missing in action in Assembly and Parliament. We need to understand the root
causes and action plan by holding discussions with women leaders from political parties, elected
representatives, social scientists, grassroots activists, journalists and others. I’m excited that all
of us are coming together,” she said.
Cynthia Stephen, social policy researcher, said, “This platform is designed to be inclusive,
bringing together women of all walks of life, urban, rural, from different parts of the country,
who are interested in seeking political power to women.”
Speakers at the event will include women leaders from the INC, BJP, JD(S) and CPM, civil
society and political activists, scholars, academicians, journalists and senior editors.
