Panchayat:Repo18/Law Manual Page0097

(8) A Block Panchayat shall have a President and a Vice-President elected by the elected members of the Block Panchayat from among themselves.

9. Composition of the District Panchayat.-

(1) Every District Panchayat shall consist of,—

(a) elected members equal to the number of seats notified under sub-section (1) of Section 6; and

(b) the President of the Block Panchayats in the district; 22

[(c) XXX

(d) xxx]

(2) All the seats in a District 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 District Panchayat, stipulated seats shall be reserved for 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 District Panchayat as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the District Panchayat area or, as the case may be, of the Scheduled Tribes in that District Panchayat area bears to the total population of that District Panchayat area, and such seats shall be allotted by the 23[State Election Commission] or the officer authorised by it 24[under sub-section (1B) of section 10] by rotation to different constituencies in that District Panchayat area: Provided that where the population of the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in a District Panchayat area is not sufficient enough for the reservation of any seat, one seat shall be reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in that Panchayat, having higher population.

(5) 25[Fifty per cent (in the case of a fraction, it shall be fixed to the next higher integer)] 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, as the case may be, the Scheduled Tribes: 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.

(6) 26[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 in a District Panchayat shall be reserved by the Government for women and such seats shall be allotted by the 27[State Election Commission] or the officer authorised by it 28[under