Elections to the panchayats and the municipal bodies of Bihar are conducted by which authority?
- A.The Election Commission of India
- B.The Bihar State Election Commission
- C.The Department of Panchayati Raj, Bihar
- D.The Patna High Court
Correct answer
Explanation
The correct answer is B, the Bihar State Election Commission. Article 243K for panchayats and Article 243ZA 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 consisting of a State Election Commissioner appointed by the Governor.
Option A, the Election Commission of India, conducts the elections to Parliament, the state legislatures and the offices of President and Vice-President under Article 324, and it has no role in local body elections, which is the single most common error in this question. Option C, the Department of Panchayati Raj, administers the panchayat system, releases funds and frames rules, but a government department cannot hold the elections, since the whole point of Article 243K was to keep them out of executive hands. Option D, the Patna High Court, hears election petitions once polling is over but does not conduct elections. Note also that the State Election Commissioner can be removed only in the manner and on the grounds prescribed for a judge of a High Court.
Read the full article: Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Bodies of Bihar: Tiers and Articles
Practice Questions
View allThe 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, which gave panchayati raj institutions a place in the Constitution, came into force on which date?
- A.2 October 1959
- B.24 April 1993
- C.1 June 1993
- D.26 January 1950
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The 73rd Amendment Act was passed by Parliament in 1992 and was brought into force on 24 April 1993, which is why that date is observed every year as National Panchayati Raj Day.
Read the full explanation →In Bihar, the directly elected head of a Gram Panchayat is known as the:
- A.Sarpanch
- B.Pramukh
- C.Mukhiya
- D.Adhyaksha
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Under the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act, 2006 the head of a Gram Panchayat is the Mukhiya, who is elected directly by all the voters of the panchayat area, with an Up-Mukhiya as deputy chosen by the elected ward members.
Read the full explanation →The Gram Kachahari, the village level bench that settles petty disputes in Bihar, is headed by the:
- A.Mukhiya
- B.Sarpanch
- C.Nyaya Mitra
- D.Panchayat Secretary
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The Gram Kachahari is a feature of the Bihar Panchayat Raj Act, 2006 and is a bench of the directly elected Sarpanch and the elected Panches of the panchayat area; it decides small disputes between villagers and may impose a fine in the matters the Act lists, while serious offences…
Read the full explanation →Which Article of the Constitution provides for the Gram Sabha, the body of all registered voters of a village?
- A.Article 243
- B.Article 243A
- C.Article 243D
- D.Article 243G
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Article 243A, inserted by the 73rd Amendment, says that a Gram Sabha may exercise such powers and perform such functions at the village level as the legislature of a state may by law provide, so the body is constitutional but its powers are decided by state law.
Read the full explanation →How many subjects are listed in the Eleventh Schedule of the Constitution, which may be transferred to panchayats?
- A.18
- B.22
- C.29
- D.31
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The Eleventh Schedule was added by the 73rd Amendment Act, 1992 and lists 29 subjects, among them agriculture, land improvement, minor irrigation, animal husbandry, rural housing, drinking water, roads, rural electrification, poverty alleviation programmes, primary and secondary schools, markets and fairs and public distribution.
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