Rural Leadership : Emerging Trends is an exploratory-cum-descriptive study wherein an attempt has been made to examine the role of some instrumental factors, such as caste, gender, education, reservation provisions and economic status in the empowerment of rural leadership. The variables of social, economic and political background of elected representatives and the relationships among those variables are statistically analyzed and comprehensively presented in this book. The discussion reveals a distinct level of empowerment of different categories (Gram Panchayat and Panchayat Samiti categorized on different levels’ socio-economic and political indicators) of Panchayati Raj leadership with special emphasis on the relationships between the reserved class of rural leadership vis-à-vis unreserved class of leadership. Obviously, the women comprise the reserved class of rural local leadership in addition to scheduled castes and backward classes. An attempt has also been made to examine the comparative level of their attitudes, competence and performance while in office or served as members of the Panchayati Raj Institutions. The book will be of immense use for the policy-makers, planners, training and research institutes and NGOs (especially those engaged in empowering rural leadership), academicians, scholars and students working in the field.