Women in Gram Panchayats

The system of Panchayati Raj has always existed in different forms in India. The Panchayat system of the pre-British period was not statutory but voluntary. In this system, the village was the basic unit and every village had a council which consisted of the elderly people. The introduction of the Panchayati Raj to Indian polity was an attempt at the holistic development and democratization of the villages. During the first decade of an independent India, some laws were passed, and more recently, the constitutional directive has been interpreted as empowering the government to provide constitutional sanctions for important features, not only of village Panchayats but also of local self-governing bodies, particularly Gram Sabha. The democratic politics of India encourages only the elites to participate in elections, since only they possess the required education, knowledge, confidence, organizational and other skills, and material wealth. These are all needed for political participation. It is impossible, therefore, for poor people and for women to participate in democratic political processes and to have control over decisions which affect them. It is recognized that unless the poor and marginalized sections of society participate in the political process, the aims of democracy cannot be realized. Accordingly, it is necessary to bring the political system closer to them, and this demands democratic decentralization with enhanced popular participation. At grassroots level, Panchayati Raj institutions are understood to play an important role in the welfare of marginalized sections of society and of women. So far, special representation has been given to them in Panchayati Raj institutions through the system of direct elections and nomination to local councils. The Seventy-third Constitutional Amendment Act has been hailed as a revolutionary step towards decentralization of power and governance. This amendment provides for the village assembly, the Grama Sabha, and also ensures uniformity in terms of tenure. Administrative units and all states are obliged to conduct periodic elections by an independent body. The introduction of the Seventy-third Constitutional Amendment Act in 1992 marks a new era in India’s democratic system: it gives constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and strengthens them by ensuring regular elections (every 5 years); it reserves seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and women (not less than one-third of seats); and provides various other institutional systems. The present study aims to understand the nature and impact of women’s leadership in the Panchayati Raj, with special reference to the villages of Srirampur and Chittapur in the Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh. The study examines whether women Sarpanches have made a real difference in these villages. Traditionally, leadership in the villages has been enjoyed by men who were, generally speaking, elderly and moderately educated, who belonged to the upper castes, who owned land and who had links with external authorities. It has been claimed that the Panchayati Raj in India would have resulted in the emergence of a new leadership in all parts of the country had the old and traditional rural elites been replaced. In this study we examine the hypothesis that the reforms of the Panchayati Raj system have brought about changes in the form and content of women’s leadership at village level. The results of the study are also elaborated: economically sound and aged traditional village leaders were found to literally reject the concept of women’s entry into grassroots politics. In contrast to this rejection by the rural elite, political parties are trying to gain membership among women and young people. However, women leaders desire to bring changes in the form of psychological and institutional transformation in village Panchayats. This study’s main objective is to understand the development of political consciousness, especially among Dalit women leaders; secondly, to clarify the challenges confronting women leaders within these two villages; and thirdly, to understand popular perceptions of the capabilities of women leaders. The study explores women’s capabilities and performances in using resources effectively and lobbying for development projects. It also examines the degree of awareness of the members of Gram Panchayat about their powers and duties. Since this study is intended to gather factual information in a systematic manner, it selected two villages, namely Srirampoor and Chittapoor Grama Panchayats, in the Balkonda Mandal and Nizamabad districts of Andhra Pradesh. The unit of study is only at Grama Panchayats, especially of elected ward members and sarpanches. Both qualitative and quantitative methods have been used for the collection of data. Regarding a sampling strategy, a survey was adopted covering forty elected members. The present study is partly based on empirical research; it compares leadership qualities of male and female members at the level of Gram Panchayat in two villages namely Srirampoor and Chitapoor in Balkonda Mandal in the Nizamabad district of Andhra Pradesh. However, much attention was paid to Dalit women in order to interpret the issues concerning the study’s objectives. It may be noted that the village of Srirampoor was newly created as a separate Gram Panchayat in 1996. Prior to that, it was small hamlet in Chittapoor. When it became an independent village, women were elected as Panchayat leaders, known as sarpanches. Previously, the village had only had male sarpanches. The data has been collected from two villages. Including village sarpanches and all Gram Panchayat ward members, forty respondents were interviewed. For this study, an intensive questionnaire and face-to-face interviews were used. This was useful in gaining proper information about the functioning of village sarpanches and about general political participation. Analysis of the general perceptions of sarpanches and ward members and selected villagers is presented. The data has been collected primarily from elected Gram Panchayat leaders such as ward members and sarpanches. As secondary sources, textbooks, articles, N.G.O reports, field research work, central and State government’s occasional papers have been used. This study proves a useful attempt to show grassroots reflections on the functioning of Grama Panchayat in relation to women’s leadership and their ability to overcome traditional socio-political challenges.