Panchayat:Repo18/Law Manual Page0096

(b) the Presidents of the Village Panchayats in the territorial area of the Block Panchayat; and 16[(C) xxxx]

(2) All the seats in a Block Panchayat notified under sub-section (1) of Section 6 shall be filled by persons chosen by direct election in accordance with the provisions of this Act.

(3) In every Block Panchayat, stipulated seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes.

(4) The number of seats reserved under sub-section (3) shall be determined by the Government and the number of seats so determined shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats in that Block Panchayat as the population of the Scheduled Castes in that Block Panchayat area or, as the case may be, of the Scheduled Tribes in that Block Panchayat area bears to the total population of that Block Panchayat area, and such seats shall be allotted by the '7[State Election Commission) or the officer authorised by it 18[under sub-section (1B) of section 10] by rotation to different constituencies in that Block Panchayat area:

Provided that where the population of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a Block Panchayat area is not sufficient enough for reservation of any seat, one seat shall be reserved in that Block Panchayat, for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes having higher population.

(5) 19[Fifty per cent (in the case of a fraction, it shall be fixed to the next higher integer)] [including the seats reserved under sub-section (5)] of the total number of seats reserved under sub-section (4) shall be reserved by the Government for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes as the case may be: von Provided that the number of seats reserved for Scheduled Castes or as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes under sub-section (4) is one, that seat need not be reserved for women belonging to Scheduled Castes or, as the case may be, Scheduled Tribes. bis

(6) 201 Fifty per cent (in the case of fraction, it shall be fixed to the next higher integer)) [including the seats reserved under sub-section (5)] [including the seats reserved under sub-section (5)] of the total number of seats in a Block Panchayat shall be reserved by the Government for women and such seats shall be allotted by the 21[State Election Commission] or the officer authorized by it #[under sub-section (1B) of section 10] by rotation to the different constituencies in the Block Panchayat area.

(7) Nothing contained in sub-sections (3) to (6) shall be deemed to prevent members of the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes or the women from standing for election to the non-reserved seats in a Block Panchayat.