(1) Every municipality unless sooner dissolved under any law for the time being in force, shall continue for five years from the date appointed for its first meeting and no longer : Provided that a municipality shall be given a reasonable opportunity of being heard before its dissolution.
(2) An election to constitute a municipality shall be completed––
(a) before the expiry of its duration specified in sub-section (1) ;
(b) before the expiration of a period of six months from the date of its dissolution :
Provided that when the remainder of the period for which the dissolved municipality would have continued is less than six months, it shall not be necessary to hold any election under this section for constituting the municipality for such period :
Provided further that the first election to a municipality constituted after the commencement of this Act, may be held within a period of [two years] of its being notified as a municipality :
[Provided also that the first election to any Municipality constituted after the commencement of the Act may be postponed by the Government for climatic or other reasons and the elections to such Municipality shall be held within a period of three years of its being notified as a Municipality.]
[(2-A) Notwithstanding anything to the contrary contained in this Act, fresh elections may be held for vacant seats within a period of one year from the date of first election for any Municipal Committee where two-third members have not been elected at an election and till constitution of a Municipal Committee the powers of such Committee may be exercised by such Administrator as may be appointed by the Government in this behalf].
(3) A municipality constituted upon the dissolution of municipality before the expiration of its duration shall continue only for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved municipality would have continued under sub-section (1) had it not been so dissolved.