ABSTRACT
Deliberative democracy is a form of democracy in which deliberation is central to decision-making. It adopts elements of both consensus decision-making and majority rule. Deliberative democracy differs from traditional democracy in that authentic deliberation, not mere voting, is the primary source of legitimacy for the law. In 1986, the L. M. Singhvi Committee suggested that the Gram Sabha be the base of a decentralized democracy and Panchayati Raj institutions be viewed as institutions of self-governance which would actually facilitate participation of the people. The ground reality regarding the actual working of the Gram Sabha across the country reveals a sharp contrast, when measured against the normative expectations of deliberative democracy. The Gram Sabha can be empowered only when there are institutional mechanisms to make people aware of the importance of participation, through government campaigns, actively supported by civil society. Anil Kumar Vaddiraju and Shagun Mehrotra are convinced that a decentralized democracy has more possibilities of being participatory than any other.
