WOMEN’S RESERVATION IN PANCHAYATS: LEGAL EMPOWERMENT OR SYMBOLIC REPRESENTATION?

The discussion on making women politically empowered gained a new chapter with the introduction of the 73rd constitutional amendment act in the year 1992.this act gave Panchayati raj institutions constitutional validation as the third tier government. Among its transformative provisions the landmark transformation came for women of the country. The mandate of reserving one-third of all seats and leadership positions for women at all levels of local governance sought to democratise representation, correct the age old discrimination and gender bias and imbalance and strengthen democracy at the grassroots. Almost after three decades of the implementation of this act a crucial question is bound to arise- has women’s reservation gave results of genuine empowerment or it is just on files kept in shelves? Though the legislation provides women with the legal empowerment of reservation but on ground level representation in dependent on basis of the social setting, economic and educational context of the state or region. This article examines both sides of the coin – legal empowerment and symbolic representation- by looking deeply at the constitutional provisions , empirical studies practical challenges and lived experience of women in local governing bodies.