The Indian Constitution has a special provision called 'Reserved Constituencies' that are meant for weaker sections of the society. These could be for Scheduled Castes (SCs) or Scheduled Tribes (SCs) where candidates belonging to that category alone can contest so that the needs of the section they represent are met, thus ensuring the right to equality that is guaranteed by the Constitution. That's not exactly what we found when we travelled 415 km from the capital city of Bangalore into Raichur's Gurguntla village, Lingsugur taluk, in the Hyderabad-Karnataka region - the northernmost region of Karnataka.

We understand politics of the region from the eyes of women of the Madiga caste that was until some years back, considered 'untouchables'. Today, that discrimination has thankfully ended but they continue to remain least touched by any benefits of government programmes. Work as part of MNREGA, the act of Parliament that guarantees the rural poor 100 days of work in a year, that could have guaranteed them their right to work, given them livelihood and dignity, is struck off for the past two years by the local MLA who they name, and the Gram Panchayat doesn't challenge him.

We get to see the reality of Indian politics where the powerful among the scheduled castes corner all benefits, and each of the mainstream political parties appears responsible for it by leaving out the weakest link for whom the constituency was declared 'Reserved' in the first place.

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