An Election In Matsura

What happens when 25 years of single-caste rule in a small panchayat in Rajasthan is challenged by Dalit reservation?

01 August 2010
In the Dholpur district of Rajasthan, a Gurjar rivalry has dominated local politics until now.
ALL PHOTOS BY AKIF AHMAD FOR THE CARAVAN
In the Dholpur district of Rajasthan, a Gurjar rivalry has dominated local politics until now.
ALL PHOTOS BY AKIF AHMAD FOR THE CARAVAN

IT’S EARLY FEBRUARY in Matsura Gram Panchayat in Rajasthan’s Dholpur district. The Matsura Panchayat, a collection of 11 rural settlements, is holding a historic election. Its 2,700 voters are about to elect their sarpanch. Panchayat sarpanches, in a few states also called panchayat presidents, are the leaders of the smallest administrative units of the decentralised democracy.

This is not the first time a panchayat election is being held in Matsura, but it’s the first time the sarpanch’s seat in Matsura has been reserved for a member of the Scheduled Castes (SC)—the Dalits, the lowest of the low, the former Untouchables.

Dholpur district sits in eastern Rajasthan, just across the Uttar Pradesh state border from Agra. Once ruled by a Jat dynasty, Dholpur was never directly controlled by the British. The landscape is dominated by barren, brown sand ravines, and the district is famous for its red Dholpur stone. It’s even more famous for its Gurjar landlords, and their history of using violence to drive Dalits out.

Shivam Vij is a freelance journalist based in New Delhi. He is a fellow with the Pulitzer Center for Crisis Reporting, Washington DC.

Keywords: Dalits Shivam Vij Matsura reservations Matsura Gram Panchayat historic election Kushwahas The Kaptaan halki jaatis Himmat Nath Amar Singh
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