The 74th constitutional amendment mandated that the local government should have adequate representation of historically marginalized groups, typically belonging to the scheduled castes, scheduled tribes and other backward classes. It also mandates that at least ⅓ of the seats should be reserved for women, both in reserved and in unreserved seats.

Typically, the number of seats to be filled by a person chosen by direct elections is specified by the respective municipal acts of the states. This is specified as either minimum or maximum number of councillors often with respect to population.

The number of citizens represented by a councillor, or the representation ratio, has direct implications on the effectiveness of local government and the degree of citizen engagement. In India, two factors determine the number of representatives in a city council. These are the population of the city and proportion of historically marginalised groups living in the city.

Citizens are represented based on where they live. In our country, local governance is distinguished separately for urban and rural areas. Urban local governments are further dependent on whether a city is big or small, where it is located, what do the people living in the city do for a living etc. Therefore to understand how we are represented, it is important to see how city governments i.e. how the term ‘urban’ is defined in India.

The urban local bodies or city governments are composed of different actors who take up different roles in the government to run the city. However, these actors are broadly divided into two groups, the administrative and the legislative. But out of these two groups, who represents us- the citizens? In a democratic setup, the answer is, the legislative group. The legislative body of councillors has members that are directly elected by the citizens of the city and is generally the most powerful body in the city government.

Representation is key in identifying and addressing community priorities and enabling action of necessary policy decisions. Citizens can take their demands and grievances to the elected representatives and have them voice their concerns in the local legislature.

It is a critical component of urban governance, especially in urban areas where the population densities are high and there are complex challenges in the management of services.