In a Chhattisgarh village, 6 women elected to panchayat, their husbands take oath, and a video goes viral

At the village, though, it’s business as usual, with families claiming four of the women were away attending funerals and two saying they were too shy to participate in the oath-taking.

A former Zilla Panchayat CEO in Chhattisgarh said men fielding their wives because of the 50% reservation is not uncommon, and the only reason it’s made news is that a video went viral. In fact, four of the men who took oath told The Indian Express they had prepared to contest the elections but had no option but to push their wives in the race when the wards were reserved for women.

Watch | In Chattisgarh’s Paraswara village, 6 women elected to panchayat, their husbands take oath pic.twitter.com/YXTxdCS20S

— The Indian Express (@IndianExpress) March 7, 2025

The village has a population of around 1,700 across 12 wards, of which six are reserved for women. On March 3, the newly elected sarpanch, Ratan Lal Chandravanshi (55), and 12 panchs were asked to attend the first panchayat meeting, where they had to sign on a register and formally start work. “We invited all the villagers to celebrate,” said Ratan.

“While four of the women had left the village to attend two funerals, two others felt shy as there were over 100 men there. So it was decided that the six women will take oath separately on March 8, when we elect our deputy sarpanch,” claimed Ratan.

The video, though, shows the “panch patis” (husbands of the elected women) taking oath along with the six other elected men. Ratan insisted the men were present to collect the certificate and celebrate the victory of their wives. Sachiv Pravin Singh Thakur made the same claim, which the district administration did not buy and suspended him on March 5.

The village has a population of around 1,700 across 12 wards, of which six are reserved for women. (Express Photo)

The Zilla Panchayat CEO, Ajay Kumar Tripathi, told The Indian Express, “We suspended Thakur as he included non-elected men in the first meeting, which was organised only for the elected representatives.”

When The Indian Express met the women and their husbands, the latter insisted the real oath-taking will take place on March 8.

Sarita Sahu, a homemaker who studied up to class 8, stood behind the curtain at their residence and said, “I will attend the (panchayat) meetings henceforth.”

Vidya Bai Yadav (36) said she was unwell that day. Her husband, Chandrakumar (40), who has studied up to SSC, said, “I will involve her in the work of panch as she cannot read. I will explain the proposals to her and take her consent.”

Another woman panch, Neera Chandravanshi, nodded along when her husband, Shobharam (50), a former panch, said she had gone to attend a relative’s funeral.

At the village, though, it’s business as usual, with families claiming four of the women were away attending funerals and two saying they were too shy to participate in the oath-taking. (Express Photo)

Santoshi Chandravanshi (40), who has studied up to class 5, said, “I will take the oath on March 8. I do not know what the work of a panch is, but I will learn.”

Her daughter chimed in, “My mother should have gone for the meeting, but we had to attend a funeral. We saw the news. Whatever happens now, we will go (for panchayat meetings). People in our village had suggested that my mother compete in the elections.”

Gayatri Chandravanshi, another woman panch, said, “My husband told me to contest the election. We were asked to attend the first meeting by the sachiv, but I was at a funeral. My husband did not take the oath; he only collected my certificate. I will take the oath on March 8 and learn the work of a panch.”