Jaipur: Ahead of the upcoming urban local body elections, the Rajasthan State Election Commission (SEC) has made it mandatory for candidates contesting municipal elections to submit declarations on criminal convictions and pending criminal cases along with their nomination papers, warning that nominations may be rejected if the prescribed forms are not furnished before scrutiny.The Commission has also withdrawn its 2019 order requiring candidates to disclose details related to the two-child norm following the state govt’s decision to remove the corresponding disqualification provision from the Rajasthan Municipalities Act.The SEC has issued fresh instructions to all district election officers (Collectors) after the state govt amended Section 24 of the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009, through a notification published on March 25, 2026, deleting the clause that disqualified candidates for having more than two children.Under the revised guidelines, Returning Officers will require every candidate to submit a declaration form and the prescribed appendix along with the nomination papers to establish eligibility under the Act. The declaration will include details of criminal convictions and pending cases that could attract disqualification.The Commission said candidates convicted of offences involving moral turpitude or sentenced to six months or more in jail are barred from contesting for six years after their release. It also reiterated that candidates facing charges in cases punishable with imprisonment of five years or more, where charges have been framed by a competent court, remain disqualified during the pendency of such cases.Candidates who fail to submit the mandatory declaration before scrutiny may have their nominations rejected, the Commission said.
