BEYOND THE OFFICIAL PHOTOGRAPH: COMPARATIVE STUDY OF MEDIA AND PARTY PORTRAITS OF INDIAN WOMEN POLITICIANS

Lubna Sadaf Naqvi; Bikashdev Chhura; Aarti Sharma; Bhavana Sharma; Sumit Agarwala; Amit Verma

doi:10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i1.2026.7044

Authors

Lubna Sadaf Naqvi Ph.D., Research Scholar, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, School of Humanities and Social Science, Nims University Rajasthan, Jaipur- 303121, India
Dr. Bikashdev Chhura Assistant Professor and Head, Department of Political Science and Public Administration, School of Humanities and Social Sciences, Nims University Rajasthan, Jaipur-303121, India
Aarti Sharma Research Scholar, Ganpat University, Mehsana, Gujarat, India
Prof. Dr. Bhavana Sharma Professor of Law, The Assam Royal Global University, Guwahati, Assam, India
Dr. Sumit Agarwala Associate Professor, Royal School of Law and Administration, Assam, India
Dr. Amit Verma Associate Professor and Assistant Registrar (Helpdesk), Journalism and Mass Communication, Centre for Distance and Online Education, Manipal University Jaipur, India

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.29121/shodhkosh.v7.i1.2026.7044

Keywords:

Visual Politics, Women Politicians, Political Portraits, Media Framing, Party Communication, Gendered Representation, Political Imagery

Abstract [English]

In modern democracies, political portraits are quite important in the development of the perception of the populace regarding leadership, legitimacy and gender. This paper analyzes the visual representation of Indian women politicians under three types of regimes, namely, official, party, and media, which are ruled by various institutional, ideological and journalistic logics. Going beyond the analysis of isolated images, the study uses the comparative framework including the visual content coding, the regime-based analysis, and the evaluation based on the case studies. A data collection of publicly available portraits was collected through a structured coding scheme that comprises of setting, pose, affect, symbolism, textual elements, and personalization. The results indicate systematic differences at the regime level: institutional power and disinterest are highlighted in official portraits, ideological symbolism and collective identity are in the foreground of party portraits, and personalization, dramatization, and emotional expressiveness are prioritized in media portraits. Cases allow also revealing that identical political players are graphically re-created even between regimes, and reveal a stable trade-off between power and personalization. This research is important to visual politics and gender studies by providing a regime-specific approach of analyzing how political imagery reproduces negotiation of gendered leadership stories. The findings highlight the importance of considering visual analysis as a unified part of political communication studies and have a base to conduct cross-national, longitudinal, and computational research of political representation.

References

Ajani, S. N., Saoji, S., Maindargi, S. C., Rao, P. H., Patil, R. V., and Khurana, D. S. (2025). Mapping Pathways for Inclusive Digital Payment Ecosystems: Integrating NGOs, Micro-Insurance Startups, And Community Groups. Enterprise Development and Microfinance, 35(1), 61–81. https://doi.org/10.3362/1755-1986.25-00004 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3362/1755-1986.25-00004

Bhowmick, D. (2024). Political Ecology of Climate Change in Sundarbans, India: Understanding Well-Being, Social Vulnerabilities, and Community Perception. Environmental Quality Management, 33(3), 371–382. https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.22125 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/tqem.22125

Courtney, M., Breen, M., McGing, C., McMenamin, I., O’Malley, E., and Rafter, K. (2020). Underrepresenting Reality? Media Coverage of Women in Politics and Sport. Social Science Quarterly, 101(4), 1282–1302. https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12826 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/ssqu.12826

Galy-Badenas, F., and Gray, F. E. (2020). Media Coverage of Rachida Dati and Najat Vallaud-Belkacem: An Intersectional Analysis of Representations of Minority Women in the French Political Context. Women’s Studies in Communication, 43(2), 181–201. https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2020.1740900 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/07491409.2020.1740900

Gogoi, P., and Bordoloi, M. B. (2024). A Review of the Protection of Women’s Rights: An Indian Perspective. International Journal of Research in Social Science and Humanities, 5(5), 94–99. https://doi.org/10.47505/IJRSS.2024.5.8 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47505/IJRSS.2024.5.8

Klanjšek, R. (n.d.). Gender Equality And Empowerment of Women in Politics: An Overview. In S. Košir (Ed.), Empowering Women’s Political Participation (37–59). ToKnowPress. https://doi.org/10.53615/978-83-65020-52-9/37-59 DOI: https://doi.org/10.53615/978-83-65020-52-9/37-59

Liu, J., Li, X., Liu, Y., and Wang, L. (2020). The Impact of Social Media on Young Consumers’ Environmentally Friendly Consumption Behavior: Evidence From China. Sustainability, 12, 3189. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083189 DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/su12083189

Magdum, P., and Bhattacharya, B. (2021). Women in Indian Cinema. Publication Division.

Ministry of Panchayat Raj, Government of India. (2019). Basic Statistics of Panchayati Raj Institutions. Government of India.

Mishra, D. (2015). Portrayal of Women in Media. Journal of Higher Education and Research Society, 3(2), 122–128.

Ono, Y., and Endo, Y. (2024). The Underrepresentation of Women in Politics: A Literature Review on Gender Bias in Political Recruitment Processes. Interdisciplinary Information Sciences, 30(1), 36–53. https://doi.org/10.4036/iis.2024.R.01 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4036/iis.2024.R.01

Reshma, K. S., and Manjula, K. T. (2024). A Systematic Review of Literature Critiquing the Representation of Muslim Women in the Works of Selected Indian Muslim Women Novelists. International Journal of Management, Technology and Social Sciences, 9(1), 47–70. https://doi.org/10.47992/IJMTS.2581.6012.0332 DOI: https://doi.org/10.47992/IJMTS.2581.6012.0332

Saranya, R., Ramanathan, A., Bharkavi, I. S. K., and Balasubramaniam, M. (2024). The Incredible Story of India’s Revolutionary Feminist: Dr. Muthulakshmi Reddy (1886–1968). Cureus, 16(6), e62644. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.62644 DOI: https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.62644

Saville, N. M., Uppal, R., Odunga, S. A., Kedia, S., Odero, H. O., Tanaka, S., Kiwuwa-Muyingo, S., Eleh, L., Venkatesh, S., Zeinali, Z., Koay, A., Buse, K., Verma, R., and Hawkes, S. (2024). Pathways to Leadership: What Accounts for Women’s (In)Equitable Career Paths in the Health Sectors in India and Kenya? A Scoping Review. BMJ Global Health, 9(7), e014745. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014745 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjgh-2023-014745

Snipes, A., and Mudde, C. (2020). France’s (Kinder, Gentler) Extremist: Marine Le Pen, Intersectionality, and Media Framing of Female Populist Radical Right Leaders. Politics and Gender, 16(2), 438–470. https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X19000370 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/S1743923X19000370

Sultania, A. (2024). Are We Underestimating the Success of Self-Help Groups in India? A Systematic Review. Open Journal of Business and Management, 12(4), 2640–2661. https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2024.124137 DOI: https://doi.org/10.4236/ojbm.2024.124137

Van der Pas, D. J., and Aaldering, L. (2020). Gender Differences in Political Media Coverage: A Meta-Analysis. Journal of Communication, 70(1), 114–143. https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqz046 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/joc/jqz046

Williams, B. E. (2020). A Tale of Two Women: A Comparative Gendered Media Analysis of UK Prime Ministers Margaret Thatcher and Theresa May. Parliamentary Affairs, 74(2), 398–420. https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsaa008 DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/pa/gsaa008

Zaiats, N., Rega, I., Boiko, V., Shlieina, L., and Toporkova, M. (2024). Ensuring Gender Equality and Legal Protection of Women’s Rights: Achievements, Challenges, and Prospects. Multidisciplinary Science Journal, 6.