Abstract
Various measures have been taken to enhance the accountability of elected representatives in the panchayats, and to make the institutions of decentralisation more responsive to the people. This was also expected to achieve more in terms of development and benefits to the people who needed them. Political representatives, however, see their role not only as being a means of serving the interests of their constituents, but at the same time, as a means of building their own political base, through patronage.