Panchayati Raj Institutions and Women's Political Participation at the Grassroots Level: Impact of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments with Special Reference to Rajasthan
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.53573/rhimrj.2026.v13n08.001Keywords:
Panchayati Raj, Women Empowerment, Political Participation, 73rd Amendment, 74th Amendment, Rajasthan, Grassroots Democracy, Local GovernanceAbstract
The 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments of 1992 marked a watershed in India's democratic decentralization by granting constitutional status to Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and Urban Local Bodies (ULBs). One of the most significant provisions of these amendments was the reservation of not less than one-third of seats and leadership positions for women, which substantially increased women's representation in grassroots governance. Several states, including Rajasthan, further strengthened this constitutional commitment by increasing reservation for women to 50 percent. Rajasthan, a pioneer in Panchayati Raj since 1959, has emerged as an important case for examining the effectiveness of women's political participation at the local level. This paper examines the constitutional framework of decentralized governance, analyses the evolution of women's political participation, and evaluates the impact of the 73rd and 74th Constitutional Amendments with special reference to Rajasthan. It argues that increased numerical representation has enhanced women's visibility in local governance, improved their participation in decision-making, and contributed to better outcomes in education, health, sanitation, drinking water, and social welfare. However, challenges such as proxy representation, patriarchal social structures, limited administrative capacity, financial dependence, inadequate training, and political interference continue to affect substantive empowerment. The paper is based on secondary data obtained from government reports, constitutional provisions, Ministry of Panchayati Raj publications, Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Department documents, scholarly books, and peer-reviewed research articles. The study concludes that while constitutional reservations have transformed women's political representation, meaningful political empowerment requires sustained institutional reforms, capacity building, financial decentralization, gender-sensitive governance, and stronger accountability mechanisms.
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