The book enquires how far the participatory institutions and spaces are inclusive of the urban poor through a case study of Chandannagar city in West Bengal. It focuses on the formal and informal institutions and spaces of participation, their linkages and representation of urban poor in them. The book focuses on local politics in Chandannagar, its actors (the Councillors, ward committee members etc), the urban poor’s interaction with the actors and structures of governance and the outcomes that emerge. In doing so, it tries to illuminate the different strategies adopted by poor residents to negotiate the terrain of local governance and politics to stake their claims to rights. The study tries to draw lessons for the citizenship practices of the poor, by locating participation in the dynamic and contentious terrain of local politics and governance.