Despite her chequered history with local self-government institutions, India stands out as a pioneer in handing over the stranglehold of democracy to the very common people at grassroots levels. The concept of direct democracy is rooted in the ancient governmental constructs of federalism and republicanism. As mentioned in the Janapadas and Mahajanapadas, the idea acted as potential seeds of modern-day rural self-government through Panchayati Raj Institutions. However, with t