Home The Constitution Part IXA Article 243T

Art. 243T Part IXA: The Municipalities

Reservation of Seats

Exact text — Constitution of India

(1) Seats shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes in every Municipality and the number of seats so reserved shall bear, as nearly as may be, the same proportion to the total number of seats to be filled by direct election in that Municipality as the population of the Scheduled Castes in the Municipal area or of the Scheduled Tribes in the Municipal area bears to the total population of that area... (4) The offices of Chairpersons in the Municipalities shall be reserved for the Scheduled Castes, the Scheduled Tribes and women in such manner as the Legislature of a State may, by law, provide.

In Plain English

What this Article actually means

The urban counterpart to Article 243D's Panchayat reservation scheme — proportional SC/ST reservation and a minimum one-third reservation for women, including reservation of the Mayor/Chairperson's office itself, applied to Municipal bodies with the same transformative representational effect as its rural equivalent.

Why This Matters To You

How it shows up in everyday life

This is why you'll see cities with reserved wards for SC/ST candidates and, at various points, women-only Mayoral elections in specific municipalities — the same structural design that has dramatically expanded grassroots political representation in rural Panchayats, applied to urban governance.

Read alongside this one

Art. 243d — Reservation of Seats — Panchayats

Frequently Asked

Quick answers about Article 243T

Does the one-third women's reservation apply to the Mayor's position too?

Yes — clause (4) explicitly extends reservation to the Chairperson (Mayor) role itself, not just ordinary corporator/councillor seats.

← PreviousArticle 243S: Constitution and Composition of Wards Committees, etc.Next →Article 243U: Duration of Municipalities, etc.

The text above reproduces Article 243T of the Constitution of India as amended to date, for general educational reference. It is public-domain legislative text, but we recommend cross-checking the authoritative version at legislative.gov.in or india.gov.in before relying on it for a legal matter. The explanation, examples and FAQs are general information, not legal advice — consult a qualified advocate for guidance on your specific situation.