-The Telegraph Jaipur: At least two sitting women village heads in Rajasthan would have to watch from the sidelines when rural polls get under way tomorrow after the high court today refused to stay an ordinance that has fixed minimum educational qualifications for contestants. A bench of Chief Justice Sunil Ambawani and Justice Prakash Gupta said courts couldn't interfere once the notification had been issued and the election process set in motion. The...

-NDTV Jaipur: A court in Rajasthan today refused to interfere with a controversial government order that set educational prerequisites for contesting village polls, disappointing thousands of candidates who stand disqualified. The High Court said it "cannot interfere with the election process" and asked for more facts on the social impact of the ordinance or executive order that requires those fighting panchayat elections to have studied till Class 8 in school and...

-The Times of India JAIPUR (Rajsthan): For the primitive Sahariya adivasis, the Panchayat polls may already be over. The only primitive tribe of Rajasthan, Sahariyas reside mainly in the Shahabad and Kishanganj blocks of Baran district. But there is barely a handful amongst them who meet the new educational qualification norms set by the government for contesting the panchayat elections. Recently the state government through an ordinance issued directives that candidates contesting...

-The Indian Express The Rajasthan government has muscled through an ordinance to disqualify its uneducated citizens from contesting the coming Panchayat polls - only those who have studied till Class VIII are eligible to stand for election on the general seats. That's a remarkable change in a country where the Constitution allows anyone above the age of 25, irrespective of sex, caste or education, to contest elections to the Lok Sabha...

-Down to Earth Chhattisgarh's much appreciated public distribution scheme is falling apart due to corruption and mismanagement As chhattisgarh prepares for panchayat election at the end of the year, the fate of ration card holders in the state is in limbo. During a verification drive in July-August, the state government found almost 1.3 million "unnecessary" ration cards in the possession of people. These cards have been taken back by the government and...