ABSTRACT
This chapter focuses on two specific experiments: the Panchayati Raj governance that flourished in West Bengal during the Left Front rule (1977–2011) and in Kerala since the enactment of Kerala Panchayat Raj Act and the Kerala Municipality Act in 1994, and Bhagidari form of urban administration in Delhi which was patronized by the former Congress government in Delhi during the period between 2005 and 2013. Bhagidari in Delhi and Panchayati Raj in West Bengal and Kerala show the magical effect of participatory democracy on governance. The system of Panchayati Raj and Bhagidari form of governance are rooted in Gandhi's conceptualization of swaraj which is a powerful theoretical construct of participatory governance at the grassroots. Like West Bengal, Kerala stands out as one of the few provinces in federal India that nurtures a healthy local government, both at the rural and urban levels.
