Introduction Panchayati raj institutions are a watershed moment in India's democratic history since they not only percolated democratic decentralization to the grassroots level but also took a big step forward in women's empowerment by granting them a 33 percent reservation. This decentralization paradigm is characterized by a unique combination of rationalism and tokenism. However, women's participation in politics and public life in India has remained abysmally low. Though,

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