Abstract
The distinction between descriptive and substantive representation has become the dominant framework in representation studies, and empirical research—most recently exemplified by Heinze, Brulé, and Chauchard (2025)—repeatedly confirms that presence does not automatically translate into power. Yet the proposition that “presence is not power” is itself a conclusion without a theory. It merely names two endpoints while leaving untheorized the pathway between them—the very space in which the phenomenon of the sarpanch-pati actually resides.
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Pramod Kanwar
Research Scholar, Dept of Political Science, JJT University
Dr. Ram Darshan
Research Guide, Dept of Political Science, JJT University
Received: 02-07-2025, Accepted: 17-08-2025, Published Online: 14-10-2025