PANCHAYAT ACT AND GRASSROOT LEADERSHIP IN DECENTRALIZED DEMOCRACY.

Madhya Pradesh has been a precursor in implementing the Panchayat Act (73rd Amendment Act) and it has witnessed the evolution of grassroot leadership in the State. The paper endeavours to analyze the impact of Panchayat Act to further the emergence of tribal leadership with special reference to Shahdol District of Madhya Pradesh. Shahdol comprises 43.6% tribal population of its total population. With this high numerical strength, reserved representation makes the tribal community significant in the political scene of the State. The study also highlights the political emergence of tribal community in our society. Content analysis and empirical study been adopted to endorse the proposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]