The Rajasthan government is preparing to make educational qualifications mandatory; if the proposal is approved, illiterate individuals will not be able to contest elections for the posts of Sarpanch, Councillor, and other positions.

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The Rajasthan government is preparing to make a major change regarding the Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections. If this proposal is approved, illiterate individuals will no longer be able to contest elections for positions such as Sarpanch, Councilor, Mayor, Chairman, Municipal President, District Head, Pradhan, District Council Member, and Panchayat Samiti Member. The government believes that having educated representatives in local self-government will lead to more efficient and transparent functioning.

Proposal Sent to the Chief Minister
UDH Minister Jhabar Singh Kharra has sent a proposal related to implementing educational qualifications in Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections to Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma. The final decision will now be taken at the Chief Minister’s level. Once the decision is made, the department will initiate the further process. Indications suggest that the government may approve this proposal soon.

According to the proposal, a minimum qualification of 10th grade pass will be mandatory for becoming a Sarpanch. For the post of Councilor, a 10th or 12th grade pass may be required. Minimum educational qualifications are also being planned for positions like Mayor, Chairman, and Municipal President in urban local bodies. The direct impact of this will be that illiterate candidates will not be able to contest in the upcoming panchayat and local body elections.

Amendment Required in the Law
If the government implements educational qualifications, it will require amendments to the Panchayati Raj Act and the Municipalities Act. Both amendment bills will be presented in the Legislative Assembly. Only after being passed by the Assembly will this rule become legally enforceable. Following this, the Election Commission will also determine the election process according to the new rules.

Rule Implemented in 2015 as Well
This is not the first time that the issue of educational qualifications has been raised in the state. In 2015, during the tenure of then Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, this rule was also implemented in Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections. At that time, there was no educational qualification requirement for Ward Panch, but an 8th-grade pass was mandatory for Sarpanch.

In tribal (TSP) areas, an 8th-grade pass was made mandatory for Sarpanch, and a 10th-grade pass for Panchayat Samiti and District Council members. A 10th-grade pass was also stipulated as the qualification for Councilor and head of urban local bodies.

Congress had removed the rule
The Congress party had strongly opposed this decision, which was implemented in 2015. Later, in 2019, when the Congress government came to power, the educational qualification requirement was completely removed. The Congress argued that the educational qualification requirement was against democratic rights and would exclude poor and underprivileged people from participating in elections.