The Feminisation of the Electorate: A Critical Analysis of Women-Centric Welfare Politics in Contemporary India

Mithravintha

doi:10.53989/jcp.v5i1.25.116

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Journal of Contemporary Politics

DOI: 10.53989/jcp.v5i1.25.116

Year: 2026, Volume: 5, Issue: 1, Pages: 38-46

Original Article

The Feminisation of the Electorate: A Critical Analysis of Women-Centric Welfare Politics in Contemporary India

Mithravintha ^1*

¹Research Scholar, Department of Political Science, University of Kerala, India

*Corresponding Author
Email: [email protected]

Received Date:12 December 2025, Accepted Date:10 March 2026, Published Date:31 March 2026

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Abstract

The paper critically analyses the gendered evolution of India's welfare system by examining Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) policies aimed at women. It frames the rising electoral engagement of women within the wider transition from clientelist to post-clientelist welfare distribution methods, demonstrating how populist parties skilfully leverage gendered identities to reinforce electoral legitimacy. This study contends that although welfare initiatives are frequently presented as tools of empowerment, they concurrently perpetuate patriarchal dependency and transform women into depoliticised beneficiaries of state generosity. This study examines the evolving trajectory of welfare populism in various regional and national contexts, focusing on how cash-transfer welfare for women dilutes the distinction between empowerment and control, thus redefining the interplay between gender and populist policies in modern India.

Keywords: Clientelism, Direct Benefit Transfer, Welfare Politics, Women voters

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