The idea that paved the way for 73third and 74th The amendment to the Indian Constitution mandating 33% reservation for women in local self-governance institutions was made on the basis that political participation is the ‘master key’ that will allow marginalized groups to open the doors of justice and legal protection.
Emphasizing equality at all levels of governance – from Panchayat to Parliament – the Indian federal system recognized that meaningful participation must begin at the grassroots level.
Despite providing a system for women’s participation, the society deeply rooted in caste and patriarchy often ignores their true potential, instead viewing them as mere “proxies” or “placeholders” for their male relatives.
Nevertheless, the system of reserving seats for women at all levels of society has indeed served its purpose, bringing forward generations of women who are ready to claim their rightful place at various levels.
The youngest Panchayat President of the state, R. Sharukala is a living testament to this emerging, confident generation of powerful women in local governance. Elected to the Venkatampatti Panchayat at the age of just 22, the engineering graduate didn’t just hold the position; She approached her role with a determination to succeed where many of her male predecessors had failed.
Ms. Sharukala and residents at Pongal programme. Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
“Coming from an ordinary family of farmers and teachers with no political lineage, my entry into politics was not an accident but a deliberate step taken to bring about change in my village,” she says.
bridging the gaps
Ms Sharukala recalls an important milestone of connecting the Muthammalapuram Scheduled Caste (SC) settlement with the main village. She says, “For more than 30 years, this settlement was isolated by a divided river, but with the cooperation of the administration, we managed to successfully bridge this gap – literally and socially.”
Although there was no direct opposition, administrative laxity in approving the necessary infrastructure required persistence and sustained legal follow-up to finally break the decades-long isolation of the agreement.
Ms. Sharukala also successfully entered 15th Finance Commission and Mines and Minerals granted funds to provide tap water connections to about 3,367 households in 23 villages.
While she faced allegations of corruption from male officers and employees, which she dismissed as ‘baseless’, she mentally determined that she would not give up.
suppress women’s voices
The path of a woman panchayat leader is rarely easy. In many cases, this is even more challenging than what Ms. Sharukala had to endure. The experience of Sirukudi Panchayat President T. Panchavarnam in Sivaganga proves this.
Despite winning the National Best Panchayat Gram Award from the President of India in 2023, Ms. Panchavarnam remembers persistent efforts by male colleagues and politically influential figures to suppress her initiative and limit her ability to serve the people.
On winning the Panchayat elections under the reservation quota, she says she was opposed by members of her own community because of her resistance to following the corrupt ‘commission’ system and her refusal to become a mere “rubber stamp” for local power brokers.
Even for basic reforms like building roads, installing street lights and approving projects, they had to navigate through a maze of bureaucratic delays and deep-seated prejudices that tended to deny these essential services to marginalized settlements.
However, now she says, she has won the hearts of both her community and others through consistent performance and by providing visible development that has been lacking for a long time in the panchayat.
caste-gender dynamics
Bhuvaneshwari Perumal, a Dalit, started out as a lunch organizer in a government school. She has now become the first woman chairperson of the District Panchayat Council in Kallakurichi district.
He was elected unopposed to the 19-member Zilla Panchayat Parishad during the indirect elections to local bodies in October 2021.
Ms. Bhuvaneshwari recalls that during her stint as a lunch organizer at a government school in Thiagadurgam in the district, she had to face severe caste discrimination at the hands of the school authorities. However, he worked hard and now has many achievements to his name that have benefited the villages.
T. Dravida Selvi, former vice-president of Kameshwaram Panchayat in Nagapattinam district and the only representative of the fishing community among the nine Panchayat members, says his struggle was both within and outside the Panchayat. “I was ridiculed in my own community for riding a two-wheeler. They said bikes were only for men. Later, the same people became comfortable, and even started asking me for lifts!” she adds.
He feels that the obstacles within the panchayat were more subtle. She says, “Because I am a woman from a fishing community, I rarely get opportunities to speak. Discrimination is often silent – when I speak, they look elsewhere. You know they are avoiding you, but it is difficult to prove it.” “One thing that women representatives still lack compared to men is the basic right to be heard.”
claims agency
Reflecting on the numerous incidents of discrimination by women panchayat leaders, especially those coming from SC communities, in carrying out basic tasks like hoisting flags, occupying their official seats and signing project approvals, author, activist and researcher V. Geeta says the system has failed to address such issues. While governments and NGOs once provided vigorous training and workshops for women leaders, these initiatives have since become a routine formality or have ceased altogether.
However, she is quick to say that even though no systemic revolution has happened yet, 33% reservation in Panchayat Raj institutions still represents a significant change. According to Ms. Geeta, women who were initially considered proxies for their families often begin to assert their own agency once they master the administrative intricacies.
For those who believe that there has been no substantive grassroots change in the last 30 years, he argues that much has changed about who can and does claim power when given the right platform.
While women are often criticized for being under the influence of men and their political circles, the increasing progress in their participation must be seen alongside the extreme violence and systemic discrimination targeted at Dalit women leaders.
resistance to change
In 1997, Madurai Corporation Councilor of Communist Party of India (Marxist) K. From the murder of Lilavati Deadly attack on Krishnaveni in 2011The recent example of a member of the Arundhathiyar caste and the Panchayat President (2006–2011) of the North Thazhaiyuthu area in Tirunelveli, and a Dalit woman President in Tiruvallur district being denied the right to hoist the national flag on Independence Day, all these incidents remind that though the law provides equality, the social fabric remains resistant to accepting the script.
Despite serious injuries, Ms Krishnaveni survived the attack and decided to fight her attackers. He spoke out against dominant caste men for building toilets for women and said that if supporting basic needs is a crime, then men should hang their heads in shame and not the thousands of women leaders who are fighting for their rights.
During the grueling 13-year legal battle, Ms Krishnaveni faced constant threats and immense pressure to accept the settlement and withdraw the case. However, she remained steadfast and declared, “I will not give up until justice is served.”
Their persistence was rewarded in 2024 when the Tirunelveli special court for SC/ST Act cases sentenced six people to double life imprisonment, which was recently upheld by the Madras High Court.
Across the country, the practice of power capture has evolved following amendments that have brought about significant and substantive changes in local governance, says G Palanithurai, former professor in the department of political science and development administration at the Gandhigram Rural Institute. To an extent, this is no longer reserved for elite and dominant-caste groups who attempt to undermine the spirit of the law by using women and marginalized representatives as mere proxies for their interests.
They say that established centers of power allow local leaders to provide for basic needs like roads and electricity, but they fear any attempts to touch ‘core’ issues of social justice and land rights, which they see as a direct threat to caste-based dominance.
But women who have strengthened their position in the power structure often try to break boundaries by going beyond what is necessary and touching basic issues of social dignity.
Awareness is increasing
In one such attempt to take over the reins of the local body – the Gram Sabha – Panchayat President of Varganur Panchayat in Tenkasi district M. Subbulakshmi and Panchayat Vice President S. Induja, who accepted the Best Panchayat Award in 2024 from President Draupadi Murmu, is organizing Mahila Sabha (Women’s Council) and Bala Sabha (Children’s Council) to educate women and students about the importance of Gram Sabha meetings 15 days before the actual Gram Sabha. gathering.
Speaking about the effort, Ms. Induja says, “As women panchayat leaders, the first step is to understand the gram sabha itself. It is equally important to take that knowledge to every woman and child in the panchayat to balance the democratic process.”
This exercise does more than just educate; It promotes a feeling of psychological security. As she adds, this gives them the confidence to express their opinions freely, thereby reinforcing the idea that the Gram Sabha is a platform specifically created for their participation and empowerment.
the tide is changing
The Tamil Nadu Mahila Panchayat Presidents’ Association was established in the early 2000s, and played an important role in strengthening the constitutional mandate of local leaders. This allowed women to bypass local intermediaries and make direct contacts with top political figures, taking advantage of the collective power of the thousands of citizens they represented.
Dr. Palanithurai says that the political audience, sensing the Federation’s potential to gain collective bargaining power and transform individual battles for survival into a unified movement for systemic administrative reform, saw its growth as an existential threat.
As a result, he says, concerted efforts were made to make the organization obsolete, thereby ensuring that power remained fragmented and thus easier to control.
However, former MLA and state vice president of All India Democratic Women’s Association K. Balabharti says that the awareness created among women leaders and the public through NGOs, civil society organisations, political parties and governments cannot be completely ignored, as these collective efforts have successfully shifted the narrative from mere symbolic representation to active, informed participation with increased agency in decision-making processes.
“Although we keep hearing about discrimination against Dalit women leaders and interference by dominant caste members in decision making, this should be seen alongside media coverage of such incidents and understood as a sign that these deeply entrenched power structures are finally being challenged,” she explains.
She says, “The increased visibility of such struggles often stems from the fact that Dalit women are now asserting their legal rights more frequently, refusing to remain silent in the face of traditional hierarchies.”
(With inputs from S. Prasad in Cuddalore and Nacchinarakkinian M. in Tiruchi)
