📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Rasikdave
Politics
Rajasthan scrubs educational qualification rule for Panchayat candidates
✍️ Amar Ujala · Jaipur
🗓 09 Oct 2026, 03:00 PM
👁 12
The state government has eliminated the minimum education requirement for candidates contesting Panch and Sarpanch seats in the upcoming Rajasthan Panchayati Raj elections, allowing nominations without a qualification certificate.
Jaipur, Rajasthan – In a move aimed at widening participation in local governance, the Rajasthan election authorities have announced that candidates for Panch and Sarpanch positions will no longer need to submit proof of any minimum educational qualification. The decision, issued under the state's Panchayati Raj Act, removes the earlier stipulation that aspirants must hold at least a secondary school certificate.
Officials said the change is intended to remove barriers for grassroots leaders, especially in rural areas where formal schooling rates remain low. The amendment also clarifies that candidates who made clerical errors in their nomination papers will be given an opportunity to correct them before the final list is published.
The revised guidelines will apply to the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections scheduled later this year. Election officers have urged prospective candidates to review the updated nomination forms and submit them within the prescribed deadline.
Stakeholders, including local NGOs and political parties, welcomed the step, noting that it could encourage a more diverse pool of candidates and strengthen democratic representation at the village level.
The Election Commission of India will monitor the implementation to ensure that the removal of the qualification criterion does not compromise the integrity of the electoral process.
Officials said the change is intended to remove barriers for grassroots leaders, especially in rural areas where formal schooling rates remain low. The amendment also clarifies that candidates who made clerical errors in their nomination papers will be given an opportunity to correct them before the final list is published.
The revised guidelines will apply to the upcoming Panchayati Raj elections scheduled later this year. Election officers have urged prospective candidates to review the updated nomination forms and submit them within the prescribed deadline.
Stakeholders, including local NGOs and political parties, welcomed the step, noting that it could encourage a more diverse pool of candidates and strengthen democratic representation at the village level.
The Election Commission of India will monitor the implementation to ensure that the removal of the qualification criterion does not compromise the integrity of the electoral process.