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RAS question

In Rajasthan, the Sarpanch (head of Gram Panchayat) is elected by:

Correct answer: (B) Directly by the voters of the Gram Panchayat area.

In Rajasthan, the Sarpanch of a Gram Panchayat is elected directly by the electors of the Panchayat Circle.

  1. (A)

    Members of the Gram Panchayat (ward panches)

  2. (B)

    Directly by the voters of the Gram Panchayat area

  3. (C)

    State Government through the Block Development Officer

  4. (D)

    Members of the Gram Sabha by show of hands

Explanation

Under the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, every Panchayat must have a Sarpanch, and Section 26 states that the Sarpanch must be qualified to be elected as a Panch and is elected by the electors of the Panchayat Circle. The election is direct: the choice is made by the voters of the Gram Panchayat area, not by the already elected ward panches and not by a government officer. This direct-election arrangement is a Rajasthan-specific point often contrasted with indirect systems elsewhere. In Rajasthan, the decisive statutory phrase is that the Sarpanch is elected by the electors of the Panchayat Circle.

Why the other options are wrong

  • (A) Ward panches do not choose the Sarpanch in Rajasthan; Section 26 provides for election by the electors of the Panchayat Circle.
  • (C) The State Government or Block Development Officer does not appoint the Sarpanch; the office is filled through election by the voters.
  • (D) The Sarpanch is not chosen by a show of hands in the Gram Sabha; the relevant electorate is the voters of the Gram Panchayat area.

Concept

Rajasthan Panchayati Raj institutions include a Gram Panchayat headed by a directly elected Sarpanch. RAS local self-government questions often turn on small statutory differences such as direct versus indirect election.

Source

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