GPA 11 — Constitution of District Panchayats.

Gujarat Panchayats Act, 1993

Statutory text

(1) A district panchayat shall consist of elected member as provided in sub-section (4).

(2) The elected members of a district panchayat shall be elected from among the qualified voters of the district.

(3) A district panchayat shall have a President and a Vice-President elected by its elected members from amongst themselves.

(4) A district panchayat of a district having population not exceeding four lakhs shall consist of '[eighteen] members and in case of a district panchayat where the population of the district exceeds four lakhs, then for every one lakh or part thereof in excess of four lakhs, the said number of '[eighteen] shall be increased by two. (5)(a) (i) Seats shall be reserved by the State Government for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every district panchayat in the State and the number of seats so reserved shall bear, as nearly as may be the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled in by direct election in that panchayat as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the district or as the case may be the Scheduled Tribes in the district bears to the total population in the district, and such seats shall be allotted by the State Election Commission by rotation to different territorial constituencies in that district in the prescribed manner.

(ii) One tenth of the total number of seats in a district panchayat shall be reserved by the State Government for socially and educationally backward classes and such seats shall be allotted by the State Election Commission by rotation to different territorial constituencies in that district in the prescribed manner.

(b) '[As nearly as may be one-half] of the total number of seats reserved under clause (a) shall be reserved by the State Government for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes or, as the case may be, the socially and educationally backward classes.

(c) '[As nearly as may be one-half] (including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and socially and educationally backward classes) of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in a district panchayat shall be reserved by the State Election Commission by rotation to different territorial constituencies in the district in the prescribed manner.

(6) Members of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly elected from any constituency in the District or a part thereof shall be permanent invitees to the District Panchayat, but such invitees shall not have the right to vote in the meetings of the District Panchayat:

Provided that when a person ceases to be a Member of the Gujarat Legislative Assembly, he shall cease to be a permanent invitee to the District Panchayat.

Explanation.— For the removal of doubts, it is hereby clarified that status of a permanent invitee shall not be construed to be that of a member of the District Panchayat referred to in clauses (3) and (4) of article 243 C of the Constitution of India.

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