(1) The term of office of the members of every Village Panchayat who are elected at ordinary elections, shall, save as otherwise expressly provided, be five years from the date appointed for the first meeting of such Village Panchayat after ordinary election.
(2) Ordinary vacancies in the office of an elected member of the Village Panchayat shall be filled at ordinary elections which shall be fixed by the 1[Tamil Nadu State Election 13 Commissioner] to take place on such day or days within six months before the occurrence of the ordinary vacancies, as he thinks fit.
(3) The member of a Village Panchayat elected in a casual vacancy shall enter upon office forthwith, but shall hold office only so long as the member in whose place he is elected would have been entitled to hold office if the vacancy had not occurred.
1. Substituted for the words “State Election Commissioner” by Tamil Nadu Act 4 of 1998.