Raghav Chadha's big push for Indian women at Uzbekistan event: ‘Don’t just ask them to vote, but…’

Samarkand: BJP Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha made a strong pitch for greater political representation and decision-making power for women at the 12th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.

Speaking during a session on “Ensuring Political Rights for Women”, Chadha argued that women's political empowerment should go beyond electoral participation. His central message was that women should not simply be treated as a large voting constituency but should have genuine authority in governance.

“Don’t just ask women to vote. Enable them to govern. Don’t just give them a seat. Give them authority. Don’t just speak of empowerment. Make it irreversible.”

Chadha highlights women's political participation

Chadha pointed to India's experience with women's participation in democracy while making the case for greater representation in political institutions.

According to his remarks, India has witnessed record female voter participation, while around 1.45 million women have been elected at the grassroots level. He also referred to the constitutional pathway towards one-third representation for women in legislatures.

His argument centred on the distinction between participation and power. While voting gives women a voice in choosing governments, Chadha said meaningful empowerment requires women to also occupy positions where they can make decisions and exercise authority.

From women’s development to women-led development

Chadha framed the issue around the broader idea of moving from “women's development” to “women-led development.”

The distinction is significant: instead of viewing women primarily as beneficiaries of government policies, the approach seeks to place them in leadership and decision-making roles.

The BJP MP has previously raised concerns about the practice of “Sarpanch Pati”, in which women elected to reserved Panchayat positions are sometimes allegedly reduced to figureheads while male relatives exercise the actual authority. In March 2026, he called for measures to ensure that elected women representatives could exercise genuine administrative power.

Why the Uzbekistan conference matters

Chadha represented the Indian Parliament at the 12th IPU Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians, held in Samarkand from September 4 to 6. He was nominated for the conference by Vice-President and Rajya Sabha Chairman C. P. Radhakrishnan.

The conference brought together young parliamentarians to discuss issues including human rights, justice, digital rights and online safety, climate resilience and economic opportunities for young people.

Chadha also spoke about India's digital development during the conference, presenting access, agency, safety and opportunity as key pillars of digital rights. He highlighted India's UPI system as an example of digital inclusion.

A broader message on women's leadership

Chadha's intervention placed political empowerment at the centre of the discussion on women's rights.

The message was straightforward: women's participation in elections should be accompanied by representation in institutions and real decision-making authority.

His remarks also connect with the continuing debate in India over women's representation in legislatures and the effectiveness of reservation and grassroots political participation.

For Chadha, the objective is not merely to increase the number of women entering politics, but to ensure that those who enter the political system have the power and authority to govern.