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Uttarakhand passes amended Panchayat Raj act, bars candidate with more than two children from contesting polls

The amended Uttarakhand Panchayat Raj Act bars candidates with more than two children from contesting Panchayat polls.

Uttarakhand passes amended Panchayat Raj act, bars candidate with more than two children from contesting polls

Voters in queue. (File photo: SNS)

Amidst protest from the opposition, Uttarakhand assembly passed the Uttarakhand Panchayat Raj Amendment Act 2019 in Dehradun Wednesday. The new act provides bombshell to many aspiring to contest the Panchayat election this year in the hill state.

The amended Uttarakhand Panchayat Raj Act bars candidates with more than two children from contesting Panchayat polls. Besides this, possessing education qualification has been made mandatory for contesting candidates. According to reports, the Panchayat elections are likely to take place in August or September and the act will come into force before the polls.

The Panchayat Raj Amendment Act 2019 was passed with the main opposition party, Congress, creating uproar in the state assembly over the rising incidents of crime in Uttarakhand. Under the new act, a candidate with more than two children would be disqualified from contesting Panchayat election. The bill also bans holding of two offices simultaneously by any Panchayat member.

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Minimum educational qualifications have been fixed for different posts and categories. For general category male candidate, the minimum qualification will be Class 10th for contesting any Panchayat polls. Women, SC and ST candidates are provided with some relaxations in qualification norms. For general category women, and SC/ST candidates, the prescribed educational qualification is class 8th.

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