The Rajasthan government has clarified in the Legislative Assembly that there is no proposal under consideration to make educational qualifications mandatory for candidates contesting urban local body elections.
However, the process to remove the restriction on contesting elections for candidates with more than two children is currently underway in the Law Department.
This information was provided in a written reply to an unstarred question raised by Congress MLA Pusaram Godara. Notably, this is the first time the government has clarified its stand in writing on both issues.
The government stated that although discussions were held earlier regarding the introduction of educational qualifications for candidates, the proposal did not receive consensus, as several public representatives opposed it.
As a result, there is no move at present to amend the rules in this regard. As in previous elections, illiterate candidates will continue to be eligible to contest.
The reply further clarified that Section 21 of the Rajasthan Municipal Act, 2009, which governs the qualifications of candidates in urban local body elections, does not contain any provision related to educational qualifications, and no amendment is currently proposed.
Regarding the provision related to the number of children, the government stated that a proposal has been sent to the Law Department to amend Section 24 of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009.
The amendment seeks to remove the existing condition that disqualifies candidates with more than two children from contesting elections. The file is presently under process.
Congress MLA Pusaram Godara had specifically asked whether the government intends to amend the provisions concerning educational qualifications and the two-child norm for candidates in urban local body elections.
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