Elections to the Panchayati Raj institutions are conducted by the:

Under Article 243K of the Constitution, added by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, the superintendence, direction and control of the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, all elections to Panchayats are vested in a State Election Commission (SEC). Similarly, Article 243ZA, added by the 74th Amendment, gives the SEC the responsibility for elections to municipalities (urban local bodies).

Key features of the State Election Commission:

• It consists of a State Election Commissioner, appointed by the Governor of the state.
• The conditions of service and tenure of the State Election Commissioner are determined by the Governor, subject to laws made by the state legislature.

To ensure independence, the State Election Commissioner can be removed only in the same manner and on the same grounds as a judge of a High Court. The conditions of service cannot be changed to his or her disadvantage after appointment.

The Governor must provide the staff needed by the SEC, when requested.

The State Election Commission is a separate and independent body from the Election Commission of India (ECI). The ECI, set up under Article 324, conducts elections to Parliament, state legislatures, and the offices of the President and the Vice-President. It has no role in local body elections.

The Supreme Court has held that elections to Panchayats must be held before the expiry of their five-year term, and that if a Panchayat is dissolved earlier, fresh elections must be completed within six months (Article 243E). In the Suresh Mahajan case (2022), the Court directed states to hold overdue local body elections without delay.

The 73rd Amendment also provides for a State Finance Commission (Article 243-I), constituted by the Governor every five years, to review the finances of Panchayats and recommend how state taxes and grants should be shared with them.

Why not the other options?

• ✗The Election Commission of India conducts parliamentary, assembly, presidential and vice-presidential elections, not local body elections.
• ✗The District Collector may serve as a district election officer, but does not control the elections.
• ✗The State Government cannot conduct the elections itself.