Q.1 Reservation for women perpetuates a “proxy culture’’ as seen in the phenomenon of “sarpanch patis”. In this context, discuss whether reservation can address the issue of poor participation of women in Indian politics. (15 Marks)

Mentor’s Comments- Give a brief context of the political representation of women in India. Mention the issues related to providing reservation to women in political institutions. Give arguments against this proposal. Conclude with a way forward.