The paper titled, Participatory Planning and Governance: The Case of Urban and Rural West Bengal is a case study based research. West Bengal stands in sharp contrast compared to other Indian states in developing the Panchayati Raj system.(Ghatak and Ghatak, 2002).This paper looks into two cases of rural West Bengal, one following the conventional model of preparing the development plan of an area while the other using the much acclaimed tools of participation. With this rich legacy of participation in West Bengal, the ‘spaces’ within which these participatory practices takes place have undergone changes as new actors have replaced the old. This paper attempts to explore the nature and issues which control the ‘spaces’ within which participatory planning occurs, in West Bengal at the Panchayat level. It aims in drawing a comparative analysis and in the process identify the factors responsible for the success of one and the failure of the other in addressing the ideals of participation.