Revisiting the politics of presence in democratic decentralization: A study on women representatives of panchayats in scheduled areas of Jharkhand

Good governance means being participatory, accountable, predictable and transparent which reasonably calls for a gender balance in political decision-making process along with representation of other disadvantaged sections. It is believed that women's insights and values of governance can enhance and enrich the overall decision-making process. It is also generally observed that women at the local level are more sensitive to community issues. Women leaders in the Panchayati Raj can transform the local governance by sensitizing the State to issues of poverty, inequality and gender injustice. Through the PRI, they can tackle issues that had previously gone virtually unacknowledged, including water, alcohol abuse, education, health and domestic violence. The more women are in decision-making positions, the higher the probability that women's point of view will have a hearing. Paper advocates that we need to scientifically inquire and investigate into the changes in the lives of Elected Tribal Women and its reciprocal impact on the improvement of governance mechanism at grassroots after this landmark initiative witnessing more than 56% women in the active decision making process.