Panchayat System in Karnataka: Democracy, Representation and Political Parties

Abstract

As far as the Indian sub-continent is concerned local governance/panchayat has an elaborate history. The rural population have for long practiced this system of governing themselves through their representatives. The mode of working and the powers vested in the local bodies, have not been uniform throughout. The federation conferred constitutional status to the local governance bodies in 1993 and this system has progressed in an interesting way. Karnataka, a southern State in India has been ahead of time in enacting legislations dealing with local governance. Even before the amendment inserting provisions to the Constitution of India was passed, Karnataka had and was implementing extravagant laws pertaining to panchayats. Since democracy and decentralisation are closely associated with the panchayats, the idea of representation has a key role to play. The concerns with respect to involvement and influence of political parties in the local body elections are an important aspect as well. This paper ventures out to understand the panchayat system in Karnataka, pre and post the Constitutional amendment. The paper intends to throw light on the essence of the legislations relating to panchayats in Karnataka and understand the idea of democracy, representational factor and the concept of elections on a non-party basis. The researchers have keenly pondered upon the implementation of apolitical elections in Karnataka, the flaws in the proposed phenomenon. The paper also aims to look into hurdles in the way of these local bodies and propose suggestions to get over the same. Methodology: The research is doctrinal in nature. The authors have depended on primary sources inclusive of the Constitution of India, 1950, relevant statutes, statistical data and secondary sources including articles and research papers. Results/Analysis: Apolitical elections to the local government bodies in Karnataka is a myth and it ceremoniously present on papers. Political parties, national and regional influence the electoral process at the grass root level. Interference of political parties in panchayat elections is detrimental to the working of panchayats.

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