Elections to the panchayats and municipalities of Haryana are conducted by:
- A.The Election Commission of India
- B.The Haryana State Election Commission
- C.The Deputy Commissioner of each district
- D.The Department of Development and Panchayats
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, The Haryana State Election Commission. Article 243-K for panchayats and Article 243-ZA for municipalities vest the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls and the conduct of these elections in a State Election Commission, whose Commissioner is appointed by the Governor and may be removed only in the manner and on the grounds laid down for a judge of a High Court.
Option A, the Election Commission of India, conducts elections to Parliament, the state legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President, and has no role in local body elections, which is the trap here. Option C is wrong because a Deputy Commissioner acts only as a returning or district election officer under the State Election Commission. Option D is wrong because the department administers the panchayats but does not conduct their elections, a separation meant to keep the polls out of executive control.
Read the full article: Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies of Haryana: Acts and Articles
Practice Questions
View allPanchayati raj in Haryana is governed today by which state law?
- A.The Punjab Gram Panchayat Act, 1952
- B.The Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994
- C.The Haryana Municipal Act, 1973
- D.The Haryana Panchayat Samiti Act, 1966
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After the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992 every state had to bring its own law in line with Part IX of the Constitution, and Haryana did so with the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994, which still governs the gram panchayats, panchayat samitis and zila parishads of the state.
Read the full explanation →In Haryana, the directly elected head of a Gram Panchayat is called the:
- A.Mukhiya
- B.Sarpanch
- C.Pramukh
- D.Mayor
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Under the Haryana Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 a gram panchayat is headed by a Sarpanch, who is elected directly by all the voters of the panchayat area, with an Up-Sarpanch as deputy and panches elected from the wards of the village.
Read the full explanation →The Supreme Court case Rajbala versus State of Haryana (2015) dealt with which subject?
- A.Reservation of seats for Scheduled Castes in municipalities
- B.Minimum qualifications prescribed for contesting panchayat elections
- C.Delay in holding panchayat elections
- D.Powers of the State Finance Commission
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Haryana amended its Panchayati Raj Act in 2015 to add conditions for candidates, including a minimum educational qualification, no outstanding arrears of electricity dues or cooperative loans, and a functional toilet at home.
Read the full explanation →Under the Haryana Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015, the minimum educational qualification fixed for a general category male candidate was:
- A.Class 5 pass
- B.Class 8 pass
- C.Matriculation
- D.Graduation
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The amendment required a general category candidate to have passed matriculation, that is Class 10, while a relaxation was given to women and to Scheduled Caste candidates, who needed Class 8, and to Scheduled Caste women contesting a panch seat, for whom Class 5 was enough.
Read the full explanation →The 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which gave panchayats constitutional status, came into force on:
- A.2 October 1959
- B.24 April 1993
- C.1 June 1993
- D.15 August 1994
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The 73rd Amendment Act was passed in 1992 and was brought into force on 24 April 1993, observed every year since as National Panchayati Raj Day.
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