RAS question
What is the maximum duration of a Panchayat body as per the 73rd Amendment?
Correct answer: (C) 5 years.
Under Article 243E of the Constitution, a Panchayat body has a maximum duration of five years from the date of its first meeting.
Explanation
Article 243E is the key provision for the duration of Panchayats under the 73rd Amendment framework. It provides that every Panchayat shall continue for five years from the date of its first meeting. Five years is therefore the maximum duration, not a discretionary tenure that a State can extend to six years or shorten as a standard constitutional rule. Article 243E also contains the election safeguard: elections must be completed before the normal term expires, and if a Panchayat is dissolved earlier, the fresh election must be completed within six months of dissolution. The answer therefore comes directly from the fixed constitutional term in Article 243E.
Why the other options are wrong
- (A) Three years is too short because Article 243E expressly allows a Panchayat to continue for five years from its first meeting.
- (B) Six years exceeds the constitutional limit because the 73rd Amendment framework fixes the Panchayat term at five years.
- (D) Four years is not the Panchayat term under the 73rd Amendment; the constitutional rule in Article 243E fixes the duration at five years.
Concept
This tests Panchayati Raj institutions, especially the constitutional duration and election cycle under Article 243E. It recurs in RAS because local self-government is a core part of Rajasthan's political and administrative system.