Under which Article of the Constitution of India has provision been made for reservation of seats for women in Panchayats ?

Article 243D of the Constitution of India, introduced by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act of 1992, provides for the reservation of seats in Panchayats [3]. Specifically, it mandates that not less than one-third of the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in every Panchayat shall be reserved for women [4]. This reservation includes seats for women belonging to the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes [4]. Furthermore, Article 243D(4) stipulates that at least one-third of the total number of offices of Chairpersons at each level of the Panchayats must also be reserved for women [6]. While the constitutional minimum is one-third, several Indian states have increased this reservation to 50% through state-level legislation [5]. In contrast, Article 243B deals with the constitution of Panchayats, 243C with their composition, and 243E with their duration [3].

Sources

1. [1] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 92: World Constitutions > PANCHAYATS > p. 702
2. [3] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Significance of the Act > p. 388
3. [4] Indian Polity, M. Laxmikanth(7th ed.) > Chapter 39: Panchayati Raj > Salient Features > p. 389
4. [2] Indian Constitution at Work, Political Science Class XI (NCERT 2025 ed.) > Chapter 8: LOCAL GOVERNMENTS > Reservations > p. 184
5. [6] https://www.mea.gov.in/Images/pdf1/Part9.pdf
6. [5] https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleaseIframePage.aspx?PRID=2003196