Chandigarh: After the Panchayat polls, the Haryana government has decided to impose similar minimum education criteria for candidates seeking to contest the municipal elections. The state cabinet decided to amend Section 13-A of the Haryana Municipal Act, 1973 and Section 8 of the Haryaan Municipal Corporation Act, 1994, to stipulate the eligibility conditions for candidates for the urban local bodies.
As per the changes, in the general category, male candidates must have passed Class X, while female candidates must have passed Class VIII. In the reserved category, male candidates must have passed Class VIII, while female candidates must have passed Class V. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, who chaired the cabinet meeting, said, “Besides, all the candidates contesting the elections to urban local bodies have to file a declaration that they have provision for a functional toilet at their residence.” The cabinet also decided that people who have been charged with grave criminal offences punishable with more than 10 years imprisonment will be debarred from contesting the elections till they are acquitted by the courts.
“To bring qualitative improvement in the working of the urban local bodies, there is a need to include minimum qualification for a person willing to contest such elections,” said Khattar. “Another reason for prescribing minimum educational qualification is that even after the introduction of the 74th constitutional amendment, illiteracy is a common excuse given by the elected representatives for poor functioning of the urban local bodies.”
