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Panchayati Raj and municipal bodies of Rajasthan

Rajasthan's village, block and district bodies and its city bodies: how they began, what the 73rd and 74th Amendments require, and how each body is made up.

⏱ 7 min read✓ Facts checked 23 October 2026

Contents

At a glance

  1. Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru inaugurated Panchayati Raj at Nagaur on 2 October 1959; Rajasthan was the pioneer of the three-tier scheme.
  2. The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 (Act No. 13 of 1994) received the Governor's assent, was published and came into force on 23 April 1994.
  3. The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2021 (Act No. 12 of 2021) replaced "village level workers" (Gram Sevak) with "Gram Vikas Adhikari" in section 89(2) of the 1994 Act.
  4. As of 22 October 2026 Rajasthan has 41 Zila Parishads, 457 Panchayat Samitis, 14,403 Gram Panchayats and 309 municipal bodies.

The bodies at a glance

BodyHeadArea it serves
Gram PanchayatSarpanch, with an Up-SarpanchA village or group of villages (Panchayat circle)
Panchayat SamitiPradhan, with an Up-PradhanA block, except its municipal and cantonment areas
Zila ParishadPramukh, with an Up-PramukhA district, except its municipal and cantonment areas
Municipal BoardChairman, with a Vice-ChairmanA transitional area
Municipal CouncilPresident, with a Vice-PresidentA smaller urban area
Municipal CorporationMayor, with a Deputy MayorA larger urban area

How it began

Princely statesJodhpur, Bharatpur, Jaipur, Sirohi, Udaipur and Karauli enacted laws on panchayats; Bikaner had its own Gram Panchayat Act as early as 1928
1953Rajasthan Panchayat Act: village panchayats set up across the State
1957Balwant Rai Mehta Committee on Panchayati Raj; Part IX of the Constitution now covers its major recommendations
1959Rajasthan Panchayat Samitis and Zila Parishads Act: block and district bodies joined the village panchayats of 1953, making the three tiers
1994Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, made after the 73rd Amendment; it repealed the 1953 and 1959 Acts
Municipal lawsRajasthan Town Municipalities Act, 1951; Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 1959; Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009 (Act No. 18 of 2009, Governor's assent 11 September 2009)

73rd and 74th Amendments, 1992

73rd Amendment74th Amendment
AddsPart IX, The Panchayats (Articles 243 to 243O)Part IXA, The Municipalities (Articles 243P to 243ZG)
ScheduleEleventh Schedule, 29 subjects (Article 243G)Twelfth Schedule, 18 subjects (Article 243W)
In force24 April 19931 June 1993
SubjectPanchayatsMunicipalities
Bodies constituted243B: village, intermediate and district levels (the intermediate level may be left out in a State of 20 lakh people or less)243Q: Nagar Panchayat, Municipal Council, Municipal Corporation
Reservation243D243T
Five-year term243E243U
Powers and responsibilities243G243W
Taxes and funds243H243X
Finance Commission243I243Y
Audit of accounts243J243Z
Elections243K243ZA
Planning243ZD District Planning Committee; 243ZE Metropolitan Planning Committee

Gram Sabha: Article 243A, added by the 73rd Amendment, lets the State law give it powers and functions at the village level.

Finance: every five years the Governor sets up a Finance Commission to review the financial position of the panchayats (Article 243I) and of the municipalities (Article 243Y) and make recommendations to the Governor. Rajasthan's State Finance Commissions are covered under Economy of Rajasthan.

The State Election Commission is covered with the State bodies.

Scheduled Areas: Part IX does not apply to the Scheduled Areas of Article 244 (Article 243M); Parliament may extend it to them by law, with exceptions and changes.

Gram Sabha and the three tiers

Under the Rajasthan Panchayati Raj Act, 1994 the Gram Sabha consists of the persons on the electoral roll of the village or villages of a Panchayat circle. It meets at least twice a year, once in the first and once in the last quarter of the financial year, and one-tenth of its members form the quorum. A Ward Sabha of all adults of each ward also meets at least twice a year, once in each half of the financial year.

TierMembersHow the head is chosen
Gram PanchayatThe Sarpanch and Panchs directly elected from single-member wards (at least five wards)Sarpanch: elected by the voters of the whole Panchayat circle; Up-Sarpanch: elected at a meeting of the Panchayat
Panchayat SamitiDirectly elected members; MLAs of the area; Sarpanchs of all Panchayats in itPradhan and Up-Pradhan: chosen by the elected members from among themselves
Zila ParishadDirectly elected members; Lok Sabha members and MLAs of the area; Rajya Sabha members registered as voters there; Pradhans of all Panchayat Samitis in itPramukh and Up-Pramukh: chosen by the elected members from among themselves

MLAs, MPs, Sarpanchs and Pradhans who sit as members by office vote in the Samiti and the Parishad, except in the election and removal of the Pradhan or Pramukh and their deputies. Every Panchayati Raj institution lasts five years from its first meeting. The Vikas Adhikari is the chief executive of the Panchayat Samiti.

Reservation

Women, panchayatsAt least one-half of the seats filled by direct election, and at least one-half of the offices of Sarpanch, Pradhan and Pramukh in the State (sections 15 and 16 of the 1994 Act, as amended in 2008)
Women, municipalitiesOne-half of the seats (section 6(7) of the 2009 Act)
Constitution's floorOne-third of seats for women (Articles 243D(3) and 243T(3)); in panchayats also one-third of chairperson offices (243D(4))
SC and STSeats in proportion to their population in the area; reserved seats and chairperson offices go by rotation
Backward ClassesRajasthan's own rule: the share by which the SC and ST population falls short of 50 per cent, but not more than 21 per cent; 21 per cent of the Pramukh offices in the State

Municipal bodies

Rajasthan bodyName in Article 243QChief Municipal Officer
Municipal BoardNagar PanchayatExecutive Officer
Municipal CouncilMunicipal CouncilCommissioner
Municipal CorporationMunicipal CorporationCommissioner

A municipality has at least 13 seats, all filled by direct election from wards. The MLA of the area sits and votes in every municipality; the Lok Sabha member sits and votes in a Municipal Council or Corporation. The State Government also nominates persons with knowledge of municipal administration (six in a Board, eight in a Council, twelve in a Corporation, one of them a person with disability); they cannot vote. The Chairperson (Mayor, President or Chairman) is chosen by the members elected from the wards. A candidate for Mayor deposits ₹30,000 (₹15,000 for a woman, SC, ST or Backward Class candidate); for President ₹20,000 (₹10,000) and for Chairman ₹10,000 (₹5,000).

The 2009 Act came into force on 15 September 2009 and repealed the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 1959. A Wards Committee is formed in a municipality of three lakh people or more (Article 243S). The Local Self Government Department controls the municipal bodies.

District planning

Article 243ZD requires a District Planning Committee in every district to consolidate the plans of the panchayats and municipalities into a draft development plan for the district; at least four-fifths of its members are elected by and from the elected members of the district-level panchayat and the municipalities, in proportion to the rural and urban population. In Rajasthan the Pramukh of the Zila Parishad is its chairperson (section 121 of the 1994 Act).

Remember: often mixed up

  • 73rd and 74th73rd is Part IX, panchayats, Eleventh Schedule (29 subjects) · 74th is Part IXA, municipalities, Twelfth Schedule (18 subjects)
  • Articles 243W to 243Z243W powers · 243X taxes and funds · 243Y Finance Commission · 243Z audit of accounts
  • Election bodies243K panchayats and 243ZA municipalities, State Election Commission · Article 324 Parliament and the State Legislatures, Election Commission of India
  • Order, from the village upGram Sabha, Gram Panchayat, Panchayat Samiti, Zila Parishad

Test yourself: asked in exams

RAS Prelims 2023 · Q31

Through which Amendment Act, the existing, 'Village Level Workers' has been substituted by the 'Gram Vikas Adhikari' ?

  1. (1)The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2015
  2. (2)The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2017
  3. (3)The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2019
  4. (4)The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2021
Show answer

✓ (4) The Rajasthan Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Act, 2021

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RAS Prelims 2024 · Q29

Who becomes the chairperson of District Planning Committee in Rajasthan ?

  1. (1)District Collector
  2. (2)Chief Executive Officer of Zila Parishad
  3. (3)Member of Parliament
  4. (4)Zila Pramukh
Show answer

✓ (4) Zila Pramukh

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RAS Prelims 2024 · Q31

Which of the following group of princely states had enacted legislations on Panchayats prior to independence ?

  1. (1)Alwar, Banswara, Karauli, Sirohi
  2. (2)Banswara, Bikaner, Bharatpur, Bundi
  3. (3)Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, Sirohi
  4. (4)Karauli, Bundi, Alwar, Jaisalmer
Show answer

✓ (3) Jodhpur, Jaipur, Udaipur, Sirohi

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CET Senior Secondary Level 2024 · Q41

By which Indian Constitutional Amendment the ‘Gram Sabha’ has been given a Constitutional Status?

  1. (1)72nd
  2. (2)73rd
  3. (3)74th
  4. (4)75th
Show answer

✓ (2) 73rd

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CET Senior Secondary Level 2024 · Q112

On 2nd October 1959, who inaugurated the modern three tier system of Panchayati Raj in the Nagour (Rajasthan).

  1. (1)Lal Bahadur Shastri
  2. (2)Mahatma Gandhi
  3. (3)Jawahar Lal Nehru
  4. (4)Sarojini Naidu
Show answer

✓ (3) Jawahar Lal Nehru

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CET Senior Secondary Level 2024 · Q128

The Rajasthan Panchayti Raj Act (RPRA) came into force from:

  1. (1)January 1994
  2. (2)April 1992
  3. (3)January 1992
  4. (4)April 1994
Show answer

✓ (4) April 1994

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Protection Officer 2022 · Q21

Which of the following article of Constitution of India authorise municipalities to levy, collect and appropriate taxes, duties, tolls and fees ?

  1. (1)Article 243W
  2. (2)Article 243X
  3. (3)Article 243Y
  4. (4)Article 243Z
Show answer

✓ (2) Article 243X

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Protection Officer 2024 · Q47

Consider the following statements regarding the Constitution of India - (I) Under the Article 324(1), the conduct of all elections to the Legislature of every State shall be vested in State Election Commission. (II) Under the Article 243-K, the conduct of all elections to the Panchayats shall be vested in a State Election Commission. (III) Under the Article 243-ZA, the conduct of all elections to the Municipalities shall be vested in the State Election Commission. Choose the correct option -

  1. (1)Only (II) and (III) are correct.
  2. (2)(I), (II) and (III) all are correct.
  3. (3)Only (I) and (III) are correct.
  4. (4)Only (I) and (II) are correct.
Show answer

✓ (1) Only (II) and (III) are correct.

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REET 2024 Level 2 · Q99

In which Schedule were 29 subjects added for Panchayati Raj by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment in the Indian Constitution ?

  1. (1)9th
  2. (2)10th
  3. (3)11th
  4. (4)12th
Show answer

✓ (3) 11th

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CTET February 2026 Paper II · Q35

In reference to Panchayati Raj, which of the following sequence is in correct hierarchical order ?

  1. (1)Gram Panchayat - Panchayat Samiti - Gram Sabha - Zila Parishad
  2. (2)Gram Sabha - Gram Panchayat - Panchayat Samiti - Zila Parishad
  3. (3)Panchayat Samiti - Gram Panchayat - Gram Sabha - Zila Parishad
  4. (4)Gram Sabha - Panchayat Samiti - Gram Panchayat - Zila Parishad
Show answer

✓ (2) Gram Sabha - Gram Panchayat - Panchayat Samiti - Zila Parishad

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BSTC 2026 (shift I) · Q87

Which constitutional body has been created to review the financial position of the Panchayats and make recommendations to the Governor under the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992?

  1. (1)Rajasthan State Planning Board
  2. (2)State Finance Commission
  3. (3)Panchayat Samiti
  4. (4)Zila Parishad
Show answer

✓ (2) State Finance Commission

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RAS Prelims 2024 · Q35

What is the amount of security deposit to contest the election of a Mayor by a candidate belonging to the general category ?

  1. (1)₹ 10,000
  2. (2)₹ 20,000
  3. (3)₹ 30,000
  4. (4)₹ 40,000
Show answer

✓ (3) ₹ 30,000

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