Are we letting sarpanch ‘patis’ hijack grassroots democracy?
This article is authored by Jitendra Pandit and Rejani Pavithran.
The web series Panchayat had caught the attention of viewers across the country for its raw and realistic portrayal of gram panchayat and its inner workings. The tropes around the development, campaigns, elected representatives and bureaucracy along with the familiar figure of ‘pradhan ji’ made people laugh and ruminate how gender shapes authority and limits women’s space, voice, and agency. Finally, it got a balance with the ministry of panchayat raj (MoPR) collaborated with TV series producers to create a special episode of Asli Pradhan Koun that highlights women pradhan finally exercising her power. This episode is now publicly available on YouTube, also being used as a digital learning content for elected women representatives (EWRs).
Many of us have seen billboards of female candidates during election campaigns. More often than not, the woman's name and photo is accompanied by her husband's. It's an unspoken declaration that she is only a figurehead and that someone else is pulling the strings. Unfortunately, the story doesn't end there; these very men go further- taking charge of the position reserved for women and even running the entire system on their name, this gave rise to distinctly Indian phenomenon- the sarpanch pati (SP)-pradhan pati (PP) or mukhiya pati (MP). The problem has become so widespread that in Year 2023, MoPR constituted an advisory committee, following the order of Supreme Court, to examine the issues of women sarpanch-pradhans being represented by the male family members. These SPs-PPs-MPs have become so deeply ingrained in our grassroot democracy culture that they openly make decisions and attend official meetings on behalf of elected women leaders.
India – a global leader in gender representation
Following the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act (CAA), mandating reservations for women and marginalized groups in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), more than 22 states have since expanded this provision to include a 50% reservation for women in PRIs. As a result, approximately 1.4 million of the 3.0 million elected representatives in local bodies today are women. Many of these women serve as sarpanches, pradhans, mukhiyas in gram panchayats or chairpersons at the block and district levels.
Studies have consistently shown that women’s leadership in PRIs positively impacts governance, particularly outcomes around health, nutrition, and social protection. Women-led local governments are also more likely to address gender-based violence and social welfare issues. And this system has given the country some of the most inspiring women leaders also like Chhavi Rajawat from Rajasthan, Lakshmi Gajbhiye from Maharashtra, Durga Bai Majhwar from Chhattisgarh who are trailblazers in their own ways.
Despite these stalwarts and policy provisions, women’s participation in political institutions remain imperfect, in many instances rendering them as mere placeholders in the interest of the patriarchal society. And at a large level, these political reservations seldom translate into meaningful empowerment and effective governance. Many EWRs face systemic and structural barriers restricting them from performing the role assigned to them wherein male relatives, often referred to as MP, SP or PP—exert control over decision-making. Even when the developmentally oriented women from SHGs somehow navigate their way to lead these local governments, they again face a barrage of restrictions despite their proven leadership and management skills within the women’s collective eco-system.
The setbacks for women from marginalisd communities are much bigger. Illiteracy or lower educational levels, cultural norms, lack of training and lack of exposure or participation in public places all adversely affect women performing their role in the public offices.
Recognising the issue of proxy leadership, the MoPR recently launched the Sashakt Panchayat-Netri Abhiyan for women elected leaders. This programme aims to strengthen them by improving their skills, decision-making abilities, and overall role in local governance. Transform Rural India (TRI), a development design organisation collaborated with the ministry to support this endeavour with designing differential modules, sharing key strategies. This program helps women elected leaders discover their self-identity, navigate social pressures, and use their authority effectively.
TRI has further collaborated with academic institutions to study the issues, needs and perspectives of these women leaders. Our initial work has already led to a better understanding of their needs, perspectives, and the design of strategies to make EWRs more effective in their roles. The results are encouraging. For example, in the Bhagsur Gram Panchayat in Madhya Pradesh, a woman leader who attended the program took charge. She disciplined a lazy secretary and, with the support of her village, addressed the issue of water scarcity in coordination with the block office. This shows her growing confidence and leadership.
Interestingly, TRI once received a request from one of the intervention states to design a programme for SPs to teach them do’s and don’ts of the role. This made us think that system has not only accepted this, but in some ways, legitimises it by engaging with them. One can imagine the cost of this issue for rural India where out of 2.57 lakhs panchayats in India, almost half of them are led by women – women who are elected to lead, but often pushed aside while others take place.
These initiatives help women understand their roles better and strengthen their political representation. Early experiments show that success requires a systematic approach, including helping women build their own networks and technical knowledge. Most importantly, it's about restoring their confidence and sense of purpose, which has been crushed by the SP phenomenon and larger patriarchal ecosystem at large.
These efforts are expected to empower women in positions of power, allowing them to perform their roles and use their authority more effectively. This will ultimately lead to development that is more focused on women's needs at the local level. As women gain confidence, their needs will be better reflected in development plans and services.
It is high time we create an enabling environment where the EWRs can step up and exercise their authority without any hindrance. In addition to continued investments to build capacities of EWRs using different training programs, let us also help build their networks for consistent mentoring support, and redesign the mahila sabhas for better channelisation of women specific issues and sensitisation of the elected men and those in the bureaucracy as well.
Let us hope to keep the momentum built by Sashakt Panchayat Netri Abhiyan going by building by working on the external variables. The journey demands collective action with civil society supporting training, policymakers promoting gender intentional programmes and guidelines, self-help groups rallying support for EWRs and citizens championing women's voices in every gram sabha.
This article is authored by Jitendra Pandit, associate director (governance) and Rejani Pavithran, practitioner, public policy in action, department of panchayati raj, government of Madhya Pradesh, Transform Rural India.
