Question

What is the minimum age for fighting the election in a local body?
A. 18 years
B. 21 years
C. 25 years
D. 30 years

Answer 1

Hint: Local bodies or local self-Government implies the management of local affairs by local people of the definite local area.

Complete Step by Step Answer: Local Self-Government means that the local affairs such as the management of roads, arrangements for sanitation, burial grounds, primary and middle school, etc should be done by the institutions of local self-government such as the Municipal Corporation, Municipalities, Gram Panchayats etc. Local self-government in India therefore means that the people of a particular locality should be given sufficient autonomy and share in the running of their administration.
The local bodies are the backbones of democracy. A democratic government at the top cannot succeed unless grassroots democracy through the local bodies is provided for. The local bodies impart sufficient political education to the general masses which prove very helpful in making them enlightened citizens of the country.
The qualifications to fight for local body elections are
1. A candidate should be at least 21 years of age.
2. A candidate must be a registered voter, in case of Panchayats, he should be a member of Gram Sabha in the constituency.
3. A candidate should not hold any office of profit under the government.
4. A candidate should not be a convict or disqualified by the law of the Parliament.
Now let us examine the options:
Option A – A candidate should not be less than 21 years of age; such a provision is backed by the Constitution. So, 18 years is not the correct option.
Option B – As mentioned in the Constitution, to be qualified to fight a local body election, a candidate must have attained 21 years of age and not less.
Option C – A candidate who is 25 years of age can fight for the local body election but the minimum age required is 21 years.
Option D – A candidate who is 30 years of age can also fight for the local body election but the minimum age required is 21 years.

Hence, the correct answer is option (B).

Note: Do not confuse yourself with the minimum age for State election with that of the local body elections. The minimum age for contesting in the State elections is 25 years of age while the minimum age of voting is 18 years.