A Seat at the Table: Reservations and Representation in India's Electoral System

This article argues that “reservations” in Indian legislatures—i.e., the policy that sets aside seats for the lowest castes and indigenous people in Parliament and state legislative assemblies—provide historically discriminated groups with a “seat at the table” of policy-making. This is a unique approach to achieving social justice in that it guarantees citizens who in India are considered politically, economically, and socially backward the right to air their interests in the legislatures and influence laws and policies. The article then demonstrates how this came to be, the implications it has on some relevant legislation and the desire of new claimants for these rights.