Ministry of Panchayati Raj
Government of India
Voting in Panchayat Elections
Panchayat Elections have seen
generally higher turnout than
General Elections both in terms of
total turn out and women’s
participation
Name of
State
Year of
Assembly
Election
Voting %
Year of
Panchayat
Elections
Voting % in
Panchayat
Election
Jharkhand
2009
58%
2010
70%
Jammu &
Kashmir
2008
61%
2011
79%
Reservation for women as Elected
Representatives
• 33% in the Constitution
• 50% in States of Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand,
Kerala,
Karnataka,
Madhya
Pradesh,
Maharashtra, Odisha, Rajasthan, Tripura,
Uttarakhand and West Bengal
• Women candidates have generally seen higher
turnout of women voters.
Upto 5% seats not reserved for
women have been won by
women.
GRAM SABHA
• Art 243 (b) – ‘Gram Sabha’ means a body
consisting of persons registered in the electoral
rolls relating to a village comprised within the
area of Panchayat at the village level’.
• Art 243A ‘Gram Sabha – A Gram Sabha may
exercise such powers and perform such functions
at the village level as the Legislature of a State
may, by law, provide’
Participation of women in Gram Sabha
•
•
•
•
Presence
Participation
Taking up issues which concern women
Special Gram Sabha meetings related to
women’s issues
• Mahila Sabha Meetings
• Quorum for women in Gram Sabha
Is there any impact of greater
participation of women in Panchayat
level and Gram Sabha level in turn
out in General Elections?
RAJASTHAN ASSEMBLY POLLS
District
2008
2013
Male
Female
Total
Male
Female
Total
Alwar
70.84
68.03
69.52
77.69
77.27
78.12
Dungarpur
58.45
66.37
62.36
68.00
75.86
72.47
Tonk
66.92
61.83
64.39
74.33
71.64
73.87
State Total
67.3
65.39
66.39
74.92
75.52
75.83
Thank you