Feasibility of Participatory Rural Governance in the Web of Representative Democracy – A Case Study in Indian Context

Abstract

Since Independence, Government of India has made several efforts towards participatory rural development. Among these, most remarkable is the 73^rd Constitutional Amendment (1992) that has conferred legitimated power on all rural voters for direct participation in planning, implementing as well as monitoring the development projects within the electoral constituency where they belong. The Amendment Act (1992) provides the Guideline to the States for devolution of functional as well as financial power to the rural self-government in a prescribed manner. Notification was done to amend the State Acts accordingly. By this change, all electors gain the right to attend village council's meetings to advice / to question the elected leaders. Electors are entrusted to prepare, to supervise the village plans as well as to scrutinize the budget in open meetings.

Participation of rural voters as authorized in the States' legislature is apolitical but the elected self –government itself is represented by the political party. The study aims at investigating the feasibility as well as utility of such participatory democracy within the frame of political representative democracy. A case study from West Bengal State of India shows that rural people are not interested to emit their legitimated power for participation. Conflict of Government policies, political biasness along with introduction of digital governance stand against peoples' active participation in rural governance