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The Constitution, Made Understandable.

Article 243ZJ

Board Composition, Affirmative Action, and Five-Year Term in Co-operatives

Official heading: “Number and term of members of board and its office bearers”

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Source edition
The Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)
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Part IXB, Article 243ZJ, printed pages 139–140
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1. In One Sentence

Caps the maximum board size at 21 directors, mandates reservations for one SC/ST and two women, and fixes a five-year term of office.

2. What It Means in Everyday Language

Article 243ZJ introduces professionalization and affirmative action into cooperative boards.

It caps the maximum number of directors on a cooperative board at twenty-one, and mandates the reservation of one seat for Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes, and two seats for women.

It fixes a uniform term of five years for elected board members, coterminous with the term of office bearers.

It also allows the co-option of up to two expert directors with specialized experience in banking, finance, or management, who cannot vote in elections or serve as office bearers.

3. Practical Illustrative Example

Everyday Scenario:

A multi-state cooperative society with individual members conducts board elections.

Core takeaway: Under Article 243ZJ, its board cannot exceed 21 directors and must reserve at least two seats for women and one seat for SC/ST members.
Illustrative Notice: Co-opted expert directors provide professional guidance but are constitutionally barred from voting in board elections.

4. Important Limits, Qualifications & Exceptions

Article 243ZJ professionalizes cooperative board leadership while guaranteeing social inclusion.

  • Numerical ceiling: Maximum 21 directors on the board.
  • Gender & caste quotas: Mandatory reservation of 2 women and 1 SC/ST member.
  • Fixed 5-year tenure: Coterminous terms for directors and office bearers.
  • Expert co-option: Up to 2 non-voting experts permitted.

5. Operative Constitutional Text

(1) The board shall consist of such number of directors as may be provided by the Legislature of a State, by law: Provided that the maximum number of directors of a co-operative society shall not exceed twenty-one: Provided further that the Legislature of a State shall, by law, provide for the reservation of one seat for the Scheduled Castes or the Scheduled Tribes and two seats for women on board of every co-operative society consisting of individuals as members and having members from such class of category of persons. (2) The term of office of elected members of the board and its office bearers shall be five years from the date of election and the term of office bearers shall be conterminous with the term of the board: Provided that the board may fill a casual vacancy on the board by nomination out of the same class of members in respect of which the casual vacancy has arisen, if the term of office of the board is less than half of its original term. (3) The Legislature of a State shall, by law, make provisions for co-option of persons to be members of the board having experience in the field of banking, management, finance or specialisation in any other field relating to the objects and activities undertaken by the co-operative society, as members of the board of such society: Provided that the number of such co-opted members shall not exceed two in addition to twenty-one directors specified in the first proviso to clause (1): Provided further that such co-opted members shall not have the right to vote in any election of the co-operative society in their capacity as such member or to be eligible to be elected as office bearers of the board: Provided also that the functional directors of a co-operative society shall also be the members of the board and such members shall be excluded for the purpose of counting the total number of directors specified in the first proviso to clause (1).
Transcription for reference; compare with the linked official editionNot yet verified by a human legal reviewer

6. Sources & Historical Assembly Deliberations

Assembly quotations are withheld until wording, dates, and attribution have been checked against the primary record.

Sources & Citation Metadata
  • •
    Constitutional TextThe Constitution of India (as on 1 May 2026)Cited PDF page
    Government of India (Legislative Department, Ministry of Law and Justice) • Part IXB, Article 243ZJ, printed pages 139–140 • Human source-link check pending

    Primary PDF accessed and transcribed with AI assistance on 14 October 2026. Formatting and amendment annotation markers are omitted; operative wording is retained. This is not human legal review. Later amendments and commencement notifications have not been comprehensively checked.

Human legal review is pending; compare the text with the cited editionNon-partisan educational resource

Related Constitutional Articles to Explore:

Go to ARTICLE 243ZH →Go to ARTICLE 243ZK →Go to ARTICLE 243ZL →