LEADERSHIP OF WOMEN THROUGH PANCHAYAT GOVERNANCE (A CASE STUDY OF ELECTED WOMEN REPRESENTATIVES OF PRAKASAM DISTRICT OF ANDHRA PRADESH)

Womens participation in politics has been an issue of discussion in recent years. The dominance of caste, culture and patriarchy has resulted in ignorance among women about public life. The process of womens participation in local governance is in the transitory stage and needs to be carefully scurried to bring about an improvement in the better participation of women in rural politics. The leadership of women at grassroots democracy level still requires validation for effective participation. The goal of enlightening rural women will be achieved only if women are brought up to a level where they can participate in all walks of life. The goal of political equality can be achieved through womens involvement in the process of empowerment. The objective of this study is to examine the political status of women in the local institution of Grama Panchayat in the Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh in India. 73rd Amendment of the Indian Constitution has been given a space to women to enable them to participate in the village development through gross root governance. It is seen in recent local body elections that the huge number of women is being elected to panchayat institutions. However, it is observed that lack of leadership is being created various types of problems while performing their legitimate roles in the public sphere. This paper deals the poor leadership faced by the women elected representatives from the coastal area of Prakasam district of Andhra Pradesh. The findings revealed that the political participation of women in the functioning and the electoral process of panchayats are not satisfactory at the grassroots democracy. A parochial society and low level of education are responsible for their inactive participation in the rural local democracy.