CNN: by Monica Sarkar —

The gang rape and murder of a 23-year-old student on a moving bus in New Delhi in December 2012 marked a sharp turning point for the debate on women’s rights in India. The protests that exploded nationwide following the incident brought the issue forcefully to the political table in a way that revealed the power of the Indian masses, according to a prominent advocate for women’s rights.

“As women in India, we grow up with constraints; and live with a degree of discrimination and assault,” says Karuna Nundy, a Supreme Court lawyer, adding that privileged women, who have a significant amount of power, have to deal with it a lot less.

“But when thousands of people came out onto the streets and walked in front of the Rashtrapati Bhavan, the presidential palace, I think it became clear to me that none of us have to deal with this anymore — that people around the country are standing with us and saying ‘enough.'”

That sentiment is shared by the majority of Indians taking part in the country’s general election this month, according to a recent public opinion poll.

Connect the World: India elections

More than 90% of Indian voters see the combating of violence against women as a priority, second only to corruption, the MDRA/Avaaz survey released last week shows.

According to the poll, 75% of men and women participating in the largest democratic event in historyalso believe that the political promises made to advocate women’s rights have been inadequate so far.

“The electoral process is a very important time to hold parties to account and to make it clear that politicians will lose their seats if they don’t truly represent the aspirations of the people,” says Nundy. “Politicians need to respond to that.”

So what are some of the main promises being made by the leading election contenders?

The three main parties cite similar goals, including enacting the Women’s Reservation Bill, which would allocate a third of seats in parliament and state legislatures for women, as well as enforcing fast-track courts — the same process used to convict the accused men in the gang rape case.

More:  http://edition.cnn.com/2014/04/08/world/asia/india-election-women-rights/