Democracy, Inclusion and Participation of Person With Disability in Indian Political System

Abstract

The Constitution of India envisages equal opportunities and rights of participation for all its citizens in the social and political spheres. However, this is not enough to bring the marginalized sections of the society into mainstream politics. Persons with Disabilities (PWD) are a group whose representation in the Indian political system is almost nil till date. According to estimates by the Government of India, approximately 2.21 percent of the Indian population suffers from some form of disability, which equates to 26.8 million people without any representation in the political system. Against this background, the present article provides a rich and detailed account of the constraints of political representation and the measures that can be taken to envision a more inclusive political system