What are the implications for Delhi’s urban poor of increased middle-class participation in formal politics? The Bhagidari programme sought to institutionalise citizen participation in governance by involving Residents Welfare Associations (RWAs) in local level decision-making. It was restricted to middle-class areas. This Institute of Development Studies (IDS) paper explores Bhagidari’s impacts on channels of political representation for the poor. It finds that RWAs pursue their own interests, but in the process their activities are often directed against the poor.
Poor people in Delhi use formal politics as the primary channel of accessing the state, often via client-patron relationships. Middle-class associations have traditionally been distant from formal electoral politics. They are more likely to use bureaucratic and judicial channels of representation, reflecting the distinction between ‘planned’ and ‘informal’ settlements and occupations. This is central to understanding variations in Delhi’s state-society relationships. Bhagidari was restricted to RWAs in planned areas, based on a rationale concerned with scale and legality, particularly regarding land tenure in informal settlements.
Bhagidari has influenced the relationship between government agencies, political representatives and citizen groups from neighbourhood to state level:
- Bhagidari was introduced with the support of senior political leaders and bureaucrats. The Chief Minister adopted the programme as a visible way of publicising the achievements of her government and of exerting authority.
- Fiscal devolution within local government and greater interaction between political representatives and RWAs as a result of Bhagidari led RWAs to make more demands of local politicians. This has translated into increased public expenditure in middle-class areas.
- Contributing factors to RWA mobilisation were class identity and a change in public services. Two influential RWA umbrella organisations emerged.
- The system created a parallel governance track that undermined local politicians, resulting in tension between the two groups. Some RWAs contested municipal elections on the grounds of protecting middle class interests.
Bhagidari primarily targeted the middle class, but its implications have extended to the urban poor. The changing nature of RWAs and the Delhi government within the larger political context do provide some leeway for the poor, however:
- RWAs strongly influence public policy-making and some of their self-interested demands are directed against the poor. An example is their use of legal channels against informal settlements.
- The RWAs’ move towards electoral politics and potential crowding out of poor voters could have adverse impacts on service delivery for the poor.
- Bhagidari drew criticism from within the government for failing to reach the majority of the city’s population – the poor.
- The increasingly difficult relationship between RWAs and the Delhi government led to a shift in focus away from RWAs. Extension of Bhagidari to informal settlements is a reflection of this shift.
- The success of Bhagidari in informal settlements would depend on how the programme was implemented. The focus is expected to be on education, vocational training and health.
- The programme would bring the highest tiers of government closer to the urban poor. Evaluation studies indicate improvements in services in neighbourhoods where Bhagidari has been implemented.
