Filling the Gap: Duality, Ambivalence and Samaj in Rural Darjeeling Hills

Abstract

The literature on the fuzziness of Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs) in rural areas of the Darjeeling hills has been elusive. The recent PRI election was conducted in 2023 after a gap of almost two decades. Between 2005 and 2023, the system of governance prevailing in the rural Darjeeling hills also failed to attract academic scrutiny. Is the system, which fills the gap, primordial or just temporary to augment the governance vacuum created from 2005–2023? Surprisingly, during the same period, urban areas functioned well under the regular elected municipalities. Moreover, a contrasting picture also emerges when we juxtapose rural governance in the plains vis-à-vis the hills within the same district. Therefore, why does this duality of governance exist in the Darjeeling hills? Furthermore, despite being the epicenter of self-rule mobilisation (Gorkhaland Movement) for a long period of time, why has it fallen short in accommodating the demand for a functional PRI structure for hills? On the basis of fieldwork, it analyses the irregular skeletal system that has been perpetuating in hills in the name of local governance in rural areas. In addition, how do the rural hill dwellers in Darjeeling negotiate everyday grievances in such a state of exception?