Cessation of membership

(1) No person, shall be a member in more than one level in a Panchayat and a person who is elected to more than one level in a Panchayat shall, within fifteen days of his being so elected intimate to the State Election Commission, in writing, information regarding the Panchayat in respect of which he wishes to be a member and the panchayat in respect of which he wishes to vacate his membership and on his failure in so intimating, his membership in all the levels of the panchayats to which he has been elected shall be deemed to have ceased. (2)As soon as the intimation in writing is received from a person under sub-section (1), the State Election Commission shall declare that he has by such intimation vacated his membership in respect of all the panchayats except the panchayat in respect of which he has intimated his wish to be a member. (3)When a person being a member of a panchayat at one level is also elected as member at another panchayat level, unless he resigns his membership of the panchayat of which he is a member within fifteen days from the date on which he is so elected, his membership in the panchayat to which he is so elected shall cease; (4)Nothing contained in this section shall be a bar for a President of a Village Panchayat continuing as a member in a Block Panchayat or for a Block Panchayat President continuing as a member in a District Panchayat under clause (b) of sub sub-section (1) of section 8 or as the case may be, under clause (b) of sub-section (1) of section 9. (5)If any dispute arises in respect of vacating of membership or cessation of membership under this section, it shall be referred to the State Election Commission for decision and the