(1) Seats shall be reserved for the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every Village Panchayat 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 by direct election in that Village Panchayat as the population of the Scheduled Castes in that Village Panchayat area or of the Scheduled Tribes in that Village Panchayat area bears to the total population of that area.
Provided that for the first election for the Village Panchayat to be held immediately after the commencement of this Act, the provisional population figures of the Panchayat Village as published in relation to 1991 census shall be deemed to be the population of the Panchayat Village.
(2) Seats shall be reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes from among the seats reserved for the persons belonging to the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes which shall not be less than one-third of the total number of seats reserved for the persons belonging to Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes.
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(3) Seats shall be reserved for women in the Village Panchayat and the number of seats reserved for women shall be, as nearly as may be, one-third 2[including the number of seats reserved for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes] of the total number of seats in the Village Panchayat:
Provided that such seats reserved for women shall be allotted by rotation to different wards in such a manner as the Inspector may, by notification, direct.
(4) The reservation of seats under sub-section (1) and (2) shall cease to have effect on the expiration of the period specified in Article 334 of the Constitution.
1. The sub-sections (2-A) and (2-B) were inserted by Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1995 and omitted by Tamil Nadu Act 15 of 1996.
2. Substituted by Tamil Nadu Act 15 of 1996.