Article 243E of CoI : Article 243E: Duration of Panchayats, etc.

Explanation using Example

Example 1:

In the village of Rampur, the Panchayat was elected and held its first meeting on January 1, 2020. According to Article 243E, this Panchayat will continue to function until January 1, 2025, unless it is dissolved earlier by a law. As the five-year term approaches its end, the state government must ensure that elections for the new Panchayat are completed before January 1, 2025, to avoid any gap in governance.

Example 2:

In the village of Lakshmipur, the Panchayat was dissolved on March 1, 2023, due to internal conflicts and mismanagement. According to Article 243E, elections must be held within six months of this dissolution, i.e., by September 1, 2023. However, if the remaining term of the dissolved Panchayat was less than six months, say it was supposed to end on June 1, 2023, then it is not necessary to hold elections for such a short period. Instead, the new Panchayat elections will be scheduled as per the regular five-year cycle.

Example 3:

In the town of Bhavnagar, a new law was passed on April 1, 2024, which changes the structure of Panchayats. However, the current Panchayat, which started its term on January 1, 2020, will not be dissolved by this new law. According to Article 243E, the current Panchayat will continue to function until January 1, 2025, and the new law will only apply to future Panchayats.

Example 4:

In the village of Suryapur, the Panchayat was dissolved on July 1, 2022, and a new Panchayat was elected and constituted on September 1, 2022. According to Article 243E, this newly constituted Panchayat will only serve the remaining term of the dissolved Panchayat, which was supposed to end on January 1, 2025. Therefore, the new Panchayat will also serve until January 1, 2025, and not a full five-year term.