Issued under Clause (1) of Article 213 of the Constitution, the Himachal Pradesh Panchayati Raj (Amendment) Ordinance, 2026 inserts the term “daughter-in-law” after “son” in the Act. The amendment aims to plug perceived loopholes where disqualification provisions could be bypassed by transferring assets or liabilities within the family.
Signed by Governor Kavinder Gupta, the ordinance stipulates that if any member of a candidate’s family, including the newly added daughter-in-law, is facing a land encroachment case, the entire family unit becomes ineligible to contest PRI elections. Similarly, a daughter-in-law will also be disqualified if any other family member has such a case pending against them.
The state had earlier imposed multiple disqualification criteria, including cases related to land encroachment and offences under the NDPS Act, to ensure that candidates with legal liabilities are kept out of grassroots governance.
In a parallel development, the Himachal Pradesh High Court recently allowed ASHA workers of the Health Department to contest PRI and urban local body elections, overturning earlier restrictions that barred them from participating in polls.
The ordinance notes that the legislative assembly is not in session and that immediate action was necessary, justifying its promulgation.
The PRI elections in the state are scheduled in three phases on May 22, 28 and 30, 2026. Filing of nomination papers will begin on Thursday. Elections to 51 urban local bodies will be held on May 17, with counting for all polls slated for May 31.
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