Which part of the Constitution of India deals with Panchayati Raj Institutions?

Concept

The Constitution of India is divided into Parts, each grouping the articles that govern one subject. Local self-government in rural areas, the Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), was given constitutional status by the 73rd Constitutional Amendment Act, 1992, which inserted a dedicated Part for the Panchayats.

Applying it here

That dedicated Part is Part IX, titled 'The Panchayats', spanning Articles 243 to 243-O. It lays down the three-tier structure (village, intermediate and district levels), the composition and election of panchayats, reservation of seats, their powers and finances, and the State Election Commission and State Finance Commission. Hence the Part that deals with Panchayati Raj Institutions is Part-IX.

Why not the others

• Part-VIII, The Union Territories (Articles 239 to 242): governs the administration of Union Territories, unrelated to rural local bodies.

• Part-IV, Directive Principles of State Policy (Articles 36 to 51): only Article 40 advises the State to organise village panchayats, a non-justiciable directive, not a working institutional framework.

• Part-X, The Scheduled and Tribal Areas (Articles 244 and 244A): deals with the administration of Fifth and Sixth Schedule areas, not panchayats in general.

Cross-check: the companion 74th Amendment added Part IX-A, 'The Municipalities', for urban local bodies, confirming that the Panchayat provisions sit in Part IX.