Correct Option
As per Article 243E(3) of the Constitution of India, inserted by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, if a Panchayat is dissolved before the expiration of its five-year term, an election to constitute a new Panchayat must be completed within a period of six months from the date of its dissolution. The Panchayat so constituted upon dissolution shall continue only for the remainder of the period for which the dissolved Panchayat would have continued had it not been dissolved, ensuring continuity of local self-governance.
Incorrect Options
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Options (a) 1 month and (b) 3 months are not the constitutionally mandated periods for holding elections after the dissolution of a Panchayat. A period of one month is generally insufficient for the administrative and logistical preparations required for conducting elections, including electoral roll updates and nomination processes.
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Option (d) 1 year is significantly longer than the constitutional mandate of six months. Such a delay would violate Article 243E(3) and lead to an unconstitutional gap in local self-governance, thereby undermining the principles of democratic decentralization at the grassroots level.