Ahead of National Panchayati Raj Day on Friday (April 24), the Union government said the introduction of reservation for women in Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) has resulted in women constituting more than 49.7% of all elected panchayat representatives, adding that women are also winning non-reserved seats in “significant numbers”.
While the Constitution mandates 33% reservation for women in urban and rural local bodies, 19 states and union territories have expanded this provision to reserve 50% seats for women. However, the latest available government data tabled in Parliament in 2025 showed that the number of women representatives exceeded the prescribed quota in only 10 states/union territories by around 0 to 5 percentage points. Further, four States/Union Territories have not met the quota while five others have just enough women to meet the prescribed percentage of reservations.
Published – 22 Apr 2026 23:54 IST
