New Delhi, July 26 -- Across large parts of India, governance reveals a pattern that is neither concealed nor formally acknowledged, yet persists with enough regularity to have acquired a name of its own.

Within panchayats or village councils - the third tier of India's democratic structure - the elected representative is a woman, her position constitutionally secured and her authority recorded in official proceedings; yet in meetings, administrative interactions, and decision-making, it is often a male relative who speaks, negotiates, and directs.

The law recognises one figure as the office-holder; governance, in practice, often proceeds through another.

This phenomenon, described as the "Pradhan Pati" or "Mukhiya Pati" practice (wher...