Jaipur, Dec. 26 -- The state government is planning to reintroduce mandatory educational qualifications for candidates, ahead of the Panchayati Raj and Urban Local Body elections scheduled in Rajasthan next year, officials said. If implemented, illiterate people will be disqualified from contesting elections for posts such as councillor, sarpanch, mayor, chairman, municipal board president, zila parishad member, panchayat samiti member, pradhan and pramukh. A senior official familiar with the development said the urban development and housing (UDH) minister has sent a proposal related to urban local body elections, while the Panchayati Raj minister has forwarded a separate proposal concerning Panchayati Raj elections to the chief minister for approval. Both proposals seek to make educational qualification compulsory for contesting local body elections. Under the proposed framework, a minimum qualification of Class 10 pass has been suggested for the post of sarpanch. For councillors, the government is considering making either Class 10 or Class 12 pass mandatory. To enforce these provisions, amendments will be required in the Panchayati Raj Act and the Municipal Acts governing urban local bodies, he said. UDH minister Jhabar Singh Kharra said that several organisations and political representatives had demanded the introduction of educational qualifications in local body and Panchayat elections. Once approval is granted at the chief minister's level, two separate Bills are expected to be introduced. These Bills could be tabled and passed during the upcoming Budget Session of the Rajasthan Assembly, paving the way for legal amendments before the elections. This will not be the first time Rajasthan has seen such a move. In 2015, during the tenure of the Vasundhara Raje-led Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government, educational qualifications were made mandatory for Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections. The decision was taken just ahead of the elections, and cabinet approval was obtained through circulation to maintain confidentiality. At that time, different criteria were fixed for different posts. While ward panchayat candidates could be illiterate, sarpanch candidates were required to have passed at least Class 8. In Tribal Sub-Plan (TSP) areas, the minimum qualification for sarpanch was relaxed to Class 5. For panchayat samiti members and zila parishad members, a Class 10 pass qualification was made mandatory. Similarly, councillors and heads of urban local bodies were required to be Class 10 pass. The Congress had strongly opposed the introduction of educational qualifications for local elections and made it a major political issue. After coming to power in 2018, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government repealed the provision in 2019, allowing candidates without formal educational qualifications to contest Panchayati Raj and urban local body elections. The earlier implementation of educational qualifications had politically benefited the BJP, particularly in rural areas. Compared to the Congress, a larger number of BJP-backed candidates had won the Panchayati Raj elections during that period. With the BJP now in power again, a section of the party has renewed its push for reinstating the eligibility criteria. Following internal advocacy, the proposals have now been formally drafted and sent to chief minister Bhajan Lal Sharma for consideration....