A STUDY OF WOMEN'S POLITICAL RESERVATION LEADERSHIP IN UTTAR PRADESH

The trends of women’s political reservation and its influence on their participation in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) and local governance in Uttar Pradesh. The objective is to analyze how reservation policies have shaped women’s representation across different tiers of PRIs. Adopting a descriptive and analytical design with a mixed-method approach, the research relies on both primary and secondary data. Primary data will be collected through questionnaires, interviews, and focus group discussions with elected women representatives, officials, and community members, while secondary data is drawn from government reports, census figures, and scholarly works. Quantitative analysis through percentages and trend studies, combined with qualitative thematic analysis, provides a comprehensive picture of women’s involvement. Findings indicate that while the state-wide average of women’s participation has remained at 33.33% due to constitutional reservation, leadership positions show significant growth between 2015 and 2021. Representation of women increased from 45% to 53.7% among Gram Pradhans, from 33% to 54.2% among Block Pramukhs, and from 33% to 56% among Zila Panchayat Chairpersons. However, representation among members stagnated at around 24–25%. Overall, the study concludes that reservation has enhanced women’s visibility and empowerment in local governance, though structural and social barriers persist at the grassroots. Keywords: Women Panchayati Raj, Reservation, Women leaders, Uttar Pradesh, local governance.