Women’s empowerment in India is shaped in part by their participation in political life, which enables access to decision-making, public institutions, and collective authority. Political participation—understood as more than voting or candidature—can serve as a pathway to empowerment, but its effects remain contingent on the nature of engagement and the responsiveness of political structures. The relationship between participation and empowerment has evolved over time: from early involvement in nationalist mobilisation to institutional reforms that expanded women’s presence in local governance. While these developments have opened new spaces for leadership, structural barriers, limited autonomy, and institutional inertia continue to constrain substantive influence, particularly at higher levels. Where participation is supported by enabling conditions such as internal party reform, capacity-building, and civic education, it holds the potential to reshape gendered hierarchies and advance women’s empowerment across material, social, cognitive, and institutional dimensions.