When the Karnataka government announced substantial reservation of seats for the "backward and the oppressed classes" in the state's panchayats in 1992, it was welcomed by most experts and analysts. They felt grassroots democracy in India would flourish if the weaker sections of society were guaranteed representation.

However, when panchayat elections were held in Karnataka in December 1993, there were no takers for the 1,239 constituencies reserved for the backward classes, scheduled castes and tribes and women. According to state election authorities, 277 seats went vacant in Mysore district, 253 in Bijapur, 195 in Uttara Kannada, 140 in Belgaum and 109 in Shimoga.

State election commissioner P S Nagarajan said this was mainly because "the population of scheduled castes and tribes living in these areas was negligible". According to him, women were apprehensive of contesting even among themselves and the men "did not care to encourage them".

Nagarajan feels a substantial revision of the state's panchayat laws is required. A senior state government official revealed the divisional commissioners of Karnataka have already been asked to suggest better ways to identify and denotify the reserved constituencies.