Aam Aadmi Party Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha raised concerns regarding the ‘Sarpanch Pati’ or ‘Panchayat Pati’ practice on Thursday, March 19, 2026. He stated that women elected to reserved seats in Panchayats often serve as figureheads while their male relatives exercise the real power. This practice contradicts the 73rd Constitutional Amendment which aims to include women’s voices in local governance.
How does proxy governance affect women representatives?
Currently, there are approximately 31 lakh elected Panchayat representatives in the country, and about one-third of them are women. Raghav Chadha pointed out that when male relatives take over the duties of elected women, it creates an unintended form of proxy governance. The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) views this practice as a violation of the Constitution. The NHRC stated that only the elected woman representative holds the lawful administrative and decision-making authority.
What measures are being taken to end this practice?
The Ministry of Panchayati Raj launched a social media campaign titled ‘Say No To Proxy Sarpanch’ to raise awareness. Various authorities and committees have suggested steps to tackle this issue effectively:
- Legal Action: The NHRC considers proxy governance a form of criminal misconduct under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
- Exemplary Penalties: An advisory committee recommended strict penalties for proven cases of proxy leadership.
- Monitoring Systems: Proposals include setting up helplines and women’s watchdog committees with rewards for whistleblowers.
- Judicial Stance: The Supreme Court of India has deprecated this unconstitutional and unlawful practice.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also previously called for an end to this culture, emphasizing that women should be allowed to exercise the rights empowered by law. The government is now urged to ensure that women representatives can exercise genuine authority as intended by the law.
