Ambedkar’s Ideology and Local Democracy: The Rise of Batwal Political Participation in Rural Governance

This article examines the political participation and empowerment of the Batwal community in Seela village through the framework of B. R. Ambedkar’s ideology of educate, organise and agitate. The study adopts a descriptive research design and is based on primary field data collected through purposive sampling. The sample consists of thirty-four households, comprising 110 respondents, and the study was conducted in Reasi district. The study explores how increased awareness, participation in democratic institutions, and collective mobilisation enabled members of the Batwal community historically marginalised within the Scheduled Castes to achieve representation in the panchayati raj system. Using field data and village-level electoral information, the study analyses the transformation of local power structures and the growing political consciousness of the Batwal community, particularly during the 2018 panchayat elections when a Batwal candidate won a panch election for the first time on a non-reserved seat. The findings illustrate how grassroots democratic institutions and increasing political awareness have begun to challenge traditional caste hierarchies and exclusion.