Reservation of seats in municipalities
Also called: Article 243T · Topic: Urban Local Government: Municipalities and Cities · NCERT: Class 9, Ch 6 "Democracy"
Meaning
Art. 243T reserves seats in municipalities for certain groups. SC and ST seats are reserved in proportion to their share of the population. At least one-third of seats go to women, including within SC and ST seats, and these seats rotate among wards. Reserving chairperson posts is left to state law under 243T(4). OBC reservation is optional under 243T(6) and must pass the triple test set in the K. Krishna Murthy case (2010).
Example
As of 2023, Class 9 notes that 17 states and 1 UT had raised women's reservation to 50% in urban bodies. Maharashtra's municipal elections were held up by court cases over OBC quotas.
Don't confuse with
- Panchayat reservation (Art. 243D): for panchayats, reserving chairperson posts is mandatory under 243D(4). For municipalities, it is left to state law.