Kerala LSG Elections 2025: EC releases full list of eligibility and disqualification rules

Kakkanad: With nominations for the local body elections set to open on Friday, many prospective candidates and voters are seeking clarity on who is eligible to contest, and who is not. The Election Commission has issued a circular outlining the key qualifications and disqualifications to ensure candidates do not face last-minute hurdles that could keep them out of the electoral race.

Who can contest

• Anyone wishing to stand for election must have their name on the voter roll of any ward within the respective local body.
• Candidates must be at least 21 years old on the day they file their nomination papers.
• The proposer, the person who nominates the candidate, must be a registered voter in the same ward.
• Those contesting for reserved seats must submit a caste certificate issued by the tehsildar.
• Anganwadi and ASHA workers are eligible to contest in panchayat, municipality, and district panchayat elections.
• Saksharatha Preraks (literacy promoters) may contest only in gram panchayats.
• Kudumbashree CDS chairpersons are also eligible.

Who cannot contest

• Employees and officials of the central or state governments, local bodies, or corporations controlled by them are barred from contesting.
• Staff of companies or cooperative societies in which these entities hold a minimum 51 per cent stake are also disqualified.
• Employees of state boards or universities are ineligible, as are individuals who hold contracts with the government or local bodies.
• Those undertaking contract work in a panchayat or municipality are not eligible to contest.
• KSRTC staff, M-panel conductors and drivers, employees of the electricity board, and temporary workers appointed through employment exchanges are also prohibited from contesting.
• Individuals convicted under provisions of Section 8 of the Representation of the People Act, 1951, or sentenced to at least three months in prison for offences involving moral turpitude, are disqualified. Merely being an accused in a case, however, does not prevent someone from contesting.
• Persons who are deaf and mute are also deemed ineligible under current rules.