Article 243D of CoI : Article 243D: Reservation of seats.

Explanation using Example

Example 1:

In a village called Ramapur, the total population is 10,000. Out of this, 2,000 people belong to the Scheduled Castes (SC) and 1,000 people belong to the Scheduled Tribes (ST). The Panchayat has 20 seats to be filled by direct election.

• According to Article 243D(1), seats must be reserved for SC and ST in proportion to their population. Therefore, 4 seats (20% of 20) will be reserved for SC and 2 seats (10% of 20) will be reserved for ST.
• According to Article 243D(2), at least one-third of the reserved seats for SC and ST must be reserved for women. Therefore, at least 2 seats for SC and 1 seat for ST must be reserved for women.
• According to Article 243D(3), at least one-third of the total seats (including the reserved seats for SC and ST women) must be reserved for women. Therefore, at least 7 seats (one-third of 20) must be reserved for women.

Example 2:

In the state of Madhya Pradesh, there are 100 Panchayats at the village level. The total population of the state is 50 million, out of which 10 million belong to the Scheduled Castes and 5 million belong to the Scheduled Tribes.

• According to Article 243D(4), the offices of the Chairpersons in the Panchayats must be reserved for SC, ST, and women in proportion to their population. Therefore, 20 Chairperson offices (20% of 100) will be reserved for SC and 10 Chairperson offices (10% of 100) will be reserved for ST.
• Additionally, at least one-third of the total number of Chairperson offices must be reserved for women. Therefore, at least 34 Chairperson offices (one-third of 100) must be reserved for women.
• These reserved offices will be allotted by rotation to different Panchayats at each level to ensure fair representation.

Example 3:

In a district called Sundarnagar, the Panchayat elections are approaching. The district has a total population of 200,000, with 40,000 belonging to the Scheduled Castes and 20,000 belonging to the Scheduled Tribes. The Panchayat has 50 seats to be filled by direct election.

• According to Article 243D(1), seats must be reserved for SC and ST in proportion to their population. Therefore, 10 seats (20% of 50) will be reserved for SC and 5 seats (10% of 50) will be reserved for ST.
• According to Article 243D(2), at least one-third of the reserved seats for SC and ST must be reserved for women. Therefore, at least 3 seats for SC and 2 seats for ST must be reserved for women.
• According to Article 243D(3), at least one-third of the total seats (including the reserved seats for SC and ST women) must be reserved for women. Therefore, at least 17 seats (one-third of 50) must be reserved for women.
• According to Article 243D(4), the offices of the Chairpersons in the Panchayats must be reserved for SC, ST, and women in proportion to their population. Therefore, 10 Chairperson offices (20% of 50) will be reserved for SC and 5 Chairperson offices (10% of 50) will be reserved for ST. Additionally, at least one-third of the total number of Chairperson offices must be reserved for women. Therefore, at least 17 Chairperson offices (one-third of 50) must be reserved for women.