(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 presidents of the block panchayats in the district;
11[(c) .....................................................................................
(d) ...............................................................................................]
(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 [State Election Commission] or the Officer authorised by it ** under sub-section(1B) 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 10 Substituted by Act 13 of 1999 11 Omitte shall be reserved for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes in that Panchayat, having higher population.
(5) One-third 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 Caste 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) One-third 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 State Election Commission] or the Officer authorised by it **under subsection(1B) of section 10 by rotation to different constituencies in the District Panchayat area.
(7) Nothing contained in sub-sections (3) to (6) shall be deemed to prevent members of the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes or the women from standing for election to the nonreserved seats in a District Panchayat.
(8) A District Panchayat shall have a President and a Vice-President elected by the elected members of the District Panchayat from among themselves.
** Substituted by the Act 3 of 2005
CHAPTER IV DELIMITATION OF CONSTITUENCIES