No proxies, please

THE cancellation of Gurugram Municipal Corporation Mayor Raj Rani Malhotra’s husband’s appointment as her ‘advisor’ has cast fresh light on an old malaise: the persistence of patriarchal influence in women’s political representation. The backlash to Tilak Raj Malhotra’s appointment serves as a rare institutional pushback against the notorious ‘sarpanch pati’ culture — where elected women are relegated to ceremonial roles while their husbands wield real power. This proxy culture is not new. Despite the constitutional promise of empowerment through the 73rd Amendment and reservation of seats for women in panchayati raj institutions, the reality in many parts of India, especially in patriarchal belts like Haryana, is far from transformative. Women, though elected, are often treated as stand-ins for their male relatives — an arrangement both tolerated and, until recently, institutionally accepted.

Yet, a glimmer of hope shines through in the same state where this controversy erupted. Last week, Haryana witnessed the formation of its first Girls’ Panchayat in Fatehabad’s Barseen village, led by 21-year-old Astuti Kamboj. The symbolic body comprising girls aged 11-21 aims to foster leadership and civic awareness among young girls, preparing them for meaningful political participation, to be real leaders rather than placeholders.

The contrast is striking: on one hand, entrenched patriarchy tries to assert itself in the power corridors of an urban municipal corporation; on the other, rural girls are being trained to claim their space in the political process. The system must widely shun symbolic representation through familial proxies and encourage genuine participation by women and girls. The cancellation of the Gurugram appointment must not be treated as a one-off. It should set a precedent against male backseat drivers in governance. Empowerment means letting women lead, not just hold office.