The sarpanch is the focal point of contact between government officers and the village community and retains power for five years.
In the state of West Bengal, a sarpanch is called a panchayat pradhan ("chief"), and the deputy is a panchyat upa-pradhan.
[4] A sarpanch is a term used to refer to the elected head of a village-level statutory institution called the Gram Panchayat/Village Panchayat/Gram Parishad.
With the passage of 73rd and 74th constitutional amendments in 1992, a number of safeguards have been built in, including those pertaining to regular elections.
[13][14]: 24 This amendment followed various state-level legislative reforms in which reservations were set for panchayat positions to be held by women.