Women’s political participation has long been regarded as a crucial indicator of democratic inclusion, gender justice, and social empowerment. In India, constitutional guarantees, electoral reforms, and affirmative measures—particularly the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments—have significantly expanded women’s formal representation in political institutions, especially at the level of local self-government. However, the central question remains whether this increase in numerical participation has translated into substantive political empowerment. This paper critically examines the relationship between women’s political participation and empowerment in India through a historical and analytical review of institutional reforms, policy frameworks, and secondary empirical evidence. Using a critical policy analysis approach, the study explores the gap between descriptive representation and substantive agency by assessing women’s access to decision-making, leadership roles, political autonomy, and public policy influence. The analysis shows that reservation policies have created important entry points for women in governance and have enhanced their visibility in public life. Nevertheless, persistent patriarchal norms, socio-cultural constraints, limited education and economic resources, proxy representation, and institutional weaknesses continue to restrict women’s effective political agency. The paper argues that political participation, while indispensable, cannot by itself ensure women’s empowerment unless it is accompanied by structural transformation, institutional support, sustained capacity-building, and the erosion of socio-cultural constraints that limit women’s agency. It concludes that women’s political participation in India remains a necessary but insufficient condition for empowerment, as descriptive representation does not automatically yield substantive political power. Genuine empowerment requires a shift from numerical inclusion to autonomous decision-making, effective policy influence, and transformative participation in democratic governance.