4.1 Conduct of 2006 Local Body Elections

Though the Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act was enacted in April 1994, only after the change of Government in May 1996, the first ordinary elections were held to all the rural and urban Local Bodies in October 1996. The second ordinary elections to the Local Bodies were conducted during October 2001. The third ordinary elections to the Local Bodies were conducted in October 2006.

Table 2 furnishes the number of seats and offices in the three tiers of Panchayats for which the elections in October 2006 were held.

Table-2
Details of seats and offices in Rural Local Bodies

1.	Village Panchayat wards	40,879
2.	Village Panchayat ward members	97,458
3.	Panchayat Union wards	6,570
4.	District Panchayat wards	656
5.	Village Panchayat Presidents	12,618
6.	Panchayat Union Chairpersons	385
7.	District Panchayat Chairpersons	29

4.2 Reservation of Seats and Offices and Rotation

Article 243 D of the Constitution relates to reservation and rotation of seats for Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Women in rural Local Bodies. The relevant provisions of Tamil Nadu Panchayats Act, 1994 are Sections 11, 20, 32 & 57. These are supplemented by the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Reservation of Seats and Rotation of Reserved Seats) Rules, 1995. The Rules provide for the reservation of seats by adopting a list of wards or Panchayats arranged in the descending order of the percentage of SCs, STs and Women and applying a ‘cut off’ at the point where the number of reserved seats and offices is equal to the prescribed ratio. The periodicity of rotation is also fixed under the Rules. The Government amended Rule 7 of the Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Reservation of Seats and Rotation of Reserved Seats) Rules, 1995 vide G.O.Ms. No. 105, RD & PR (C4) Department, dated 1.9.2006 by virtue of which the posts of Presidents of Village Panchayats and Chairpersons of Panchayat Unions and District Panchayats reserved for SCs, STs and Women were rotated - after 10 years - for the October 2006 elections. While the posts of ward members of all the 3 tiers reserved for Women were rotated - after 10 years – those reserved for SCs and STs were not rotated; in other words, they would continue to be reserved as such until the Government direct otherwise.

Table 3 shows the details of reservation of seats and offices to Women, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes in rural Local Bodies:

Table-3
Reservation of Offices and Seats for Women, SCs and STs

Sl. No.	Category of Reservation	Total no. of offices/seats	Reserved for Women		Reserved for SCs		Reserved for STs
			No.	%	No.	%	No.	%
1	District Panchayat Chairpersons	29	10	34%	7	24%	0	0%
2	Panchayat Union Council Chairpersons	385	140	36%	87	23%	4	1%
3	Village Panchayat Presidents	12,618	4,275	34%	3,143	25%	156	1%
4	District Panchayat Ward Members	656	226	34%	154	23%	8	1%
5	Panchayat  Union Ward Members	6,570	2,302	35%	1,534	23%	64	1%
6	Village Panchayat Ward Members	97,458	32,638	33%	24,630	25%	983	1%