What are the rules on contesting seats?

Sub: Polity

Sec: Elections

Context:

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi announced that he would contest from Rae Bareli in Uttar Pradesh, although he is also contesting the election from Wayanad, Kerala.

Provisions for contesting the election on more than one seat:

According to the sub-section, 33 (7) Representation of the People Act (RPA), 1951, a candidate is permitted to contest an election from up to two constituencies, but he or she can hold only one seat at a time if elected from both.
- It was introduced through an amendment in 1996, prior to which there was no bar on the number of constituencies from which a candidate could contest.
Section 70 of the same Act stipulates that a candidate can hold only one seat at a time, regardless of whether he or she has been elected from more than one seat.
Thus, if a candidate wins from two seats, a byelection is necessary from the seat he or she vacates.
- Former Chief Election Commissioner N. Gopalaswami said the opposition to a candidate contesting from many seats was basically because many byelections had to be conducted after polls were over.
A person has to be a voter in a particular State to contest Assembly polls from there. But to contest in a Lok Sabha election, a person can be registered as a voter in any constituency of the country.
If a person is a registered voter in any constituency, he or she can contest from any seat in India, except Assam, Lakshadweep and Sikkim.

What is the minimum age to contest?

The minimum age for a person to contest Lok Sabha and Assembly polls is 25 years, while one can become a member of the Rajya Sabha or the State Legislative Council only at 30 years.
There is no minimum educational qualification needed to contest general elections in India.
Candidates must be citizens of India, registered in some constituency of the country as valid voters and must not have been convicted of any offence punishable by more than two years.

How can a candidate be disqualified?

A person shall be disqualified from being chosen as or being a member of either House
- if he holds any office of profit under the Government of India or the Government of any State;
- if he or she is of unsound mind and stands so declared by a competent court; if he or she is an undischarged insolvent;
- if he or she is not a citizen of India or has voluntarily acquired the citizenship of a foreign state.
Under the RPA Act, if a person is convicted of any offence and sentenced to an imprisonment of two years or more, this will lead to his disqualification to contest elections.
- Even if this person is out on bail, after the conviction and his appeal is pending for disposal, he or she is disqualified from contesting an election.
- For some categories of serious offences, one may incur disqualification for any conviction, regardless of the quantum of punishment.

Changes undertaken by the ECI regarding candidates:

The ECI has amended the rules for political party funding during elections.
The new regulations include decreasing the cash donation limit from ₹20,000 to ₹2,000.
The Electoral Bond Scheme, notified in January 2018, allowing anonymous contributions to limit the use of cash, was scrapped by the Supreme Court in 2024.
For the 2024 polls, the ECI has banned cash transportation in bank vehicles after sunset.
The Commission is also monitoring non-scheduled chartered flights for cash, liquor, and drug movement.
No law has been brought in with regard to the muscle power of candidates.
The presence of central paramilitary forces has been able to put a stop to practices like booth-capturing.

Source: TH