(1)(a)The President shall be elected by the persons whose names appear in the electoral roll for the Village Panchayat from among themselves in accordance with such procedure as may be prescribed.(b)If at an ordinary or casual election, no President is elected, a fresh election shall be held:[Provided that a person who stands for election as President shall not be eligible to stand for election as a member of a Village Panchayat, a member of a Panchayat Union Council or a member of a District Panchayat:Provided further that no President shall be eligible to stand for election as a member of a Village Panchayat, a member of a Panchayat Union Council or a member of a District Panchayat.] [Proviso substituted by Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Second Amendment) Act, 1995 (Tamil Nadu Act 30 of 1995).](2)The election of the President may be held ordinarily at the same times and in the same places as the ordinary elections of the members of the Village Panchayat.(3)The term of office of the President who is elected at an ordinary election shall, save as otherwise expressly provided in, be five years beginning at noon on the day on which the ordinary vacancy occurs.(4)Any casual vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled by a fresh election and a person elected as President in any such vacancy shall enter upon office forthwith and hold office only so long as the person in whose place he is elected would have been entitled to hold office, if the vacancy had not occurred.(5)Unless the [Tamil Nadu State Election Commissioner] [Substituted for the words 'State Election Commissioner' by Tamil Nadu Panchayats (Amendment) Act, 1998 (Tamil Nadu Act 4 of 1998).] otherwise directs, no casual vacancy in the office of the President shall be filled within six months before the date on which the ordinary election of the President under sub-section (1) is due.(6)The provisions of sections 34 to 41 (both inclusive) shall, as far as maybe, apply in relation to the office of the President as they apply in relation to the office of an elected member of the Panchayat.(7)The President shall be an ex-officio member of the Village Panchayat and shall have all the rights and privileges of an elected member of the Village Panchayat.
