politics | india politics

Four years ago, the villagers of Pinkapar gathered under a tree and urged a shy, veiled, lower-caste woman, Vijaykumari Markande, to run for a seat on the village council. She declined, saying she lacked the confidence required to be a politician. But the villagers persisted because they had to elect a lower- caste woman that year under a law mandating that one-third of all local council members be women and members of lower castes. They finally persuaded Markande to run. She entered the race and won, becoming a sarpanch, the head of the village council. But Markande had to deal with a differe

Labels: Indian Politics