Abstract

The 73rd constitutional amendment mandated the reservation of the 1/3rd of the total seats at all levels of the 3-tier panchayat institutions for women and members of Adivasi or Dalit communities. This was adopted by Karnataka in 1993, with the government enacting a comprehensive Panchayat Raj act, with the expectation that the presence of these communities in decision making bodies would improve the representation of the needs of these communities politically. Though the sheer amount of women and other marginalised communities present in these decision making bodies is pathbreaking it is not necessarily true that their mere presence improves political representation and their subsequent empowerment.

This report explores the nature of the representation embodied by elected women representatives (EWRs) in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs). It explores the background profiles of the Adhyakshas, their political and investment priorities, and the impacts and on EWRs on village governance and participation. The study consisted of a desk review, as well as a survey of 20 Gram Panchayats in each district across Karnataka, with male and female elected representatives, village residents, and angaanwadi/ASHA workers selected via a multi-stage sampling process. The study concludes by finding that most of the EWRs in the sample panchayats emerged from relatively ‘powerless’ backgrounds, but performed within their positions relatively well. EWRs did not display inclinations towards particularly “pro-women” service delivery but in fact shared investment priorities in water, sanitation and infrastructure with male Adhyakshas. The study also noted the persistence of negative bias in village resident attitudes towards female Adhyakshas, illustrating the need for different initiatives to build representation.

CBPS. (2015). Impact of women GP 'Adhyakshas' on delivery of services and democratic processes in Karnataka. Mysuru, India: Abdul Nasir Sab State Institute of Rural Development.