What is the amount of security deposit to contest the election of a Mayor by a candidate belonging to the general category ?
- (1)₹ 10,000
- (2)₹ 20,000
- (3)₹ 30,000
- (4)₹ 40,000
Answer
Why
Correct — option (3), ₹ 30,000.
Rule 78(6) of the Rajasthan Municipalities (Election) Rules, 1994, as substituted in October 2019, fixes how much a candidate must deposit to contest for the head of an urban local body.
For the post of Mayor, a general-category candidate deposits ₹ 30,000. Women candidates and candidates from the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes and Backward Classes deposit ₹15,000.
The other head posts carry smaller deposits. For general candidates, the Sabhapati (President) post needs ₹20,000 and the Adhyaksh (Chairman) post ₹10,000.
The candidate files the deposit receipt with the nomination paper. The Rules list a missing deposit among the grounds on which a nomination is declared invalid.
Mayor ₹30,000, Sabhapati ₹20,000, Adhyaksh ₹10,000 for general candidates — and half of each for women and for SC, ST and Backward Classes candidates.
Why the others are wrong
- (1)₹ 10,000 — ₹10,000 belongs to smaller posts. It is the general-category deposit for the post of Adhyaksh (Chairman), and also the Sabhapati (President) deposit for women and for SC, ST and Backward Classes candidates.
The Mayor's post needs three times as much from a general-category candidate: ₹30,000.
- (2)₹ 20,000 — ₹20,000 is the general-category deposit for the post of Sabhapati (President), the head post one step below Mayor.
For Mayor the general-category figure is ₹30,000. Taking ₹20,000 confuses the two head posts.
- (4)₹ 40,000 — ₹40,000 overshoots. In Rule 78(6)'s list of head-post deposits, the highest figure is the Mayor's own ₹30,000 for general-category candidates.
Ward-member deposits are far lower still — ₹6,000 for a general candidate for Municipal Corporation membership.
Concept
Rajasthan's urban local bodies are of three kinds under the Rajasthan Municipalities Act, 2009: Municipal Boards, Municipal Councils and Municipal Corporations. Their heads are the Adhyaksh (Chairman), the Sabhapati (President) and the Mayor.
The election of a head is a separate contest from the ward elections. It has its own nomination form and its own security deposit.
A security deposit is money a candidate lodges with the nomination. Rajasthan grades it by post and, for head posts, halves it for women and for SC, ST and Backward Classes candidates.
Under Article 243ZA of the Constitution, the State Election Commission superintends, directs and controls the preparation of electoral rolls for, and the conduct of, municipal elections.
Municipal elections belong to local government under the syllabus head Political and Administrative System of Rajasthan, which lists "Local Self Government" and the "State Election Commission". Contesting an election brings conditions of its own, separate from how the bodies are structured.
The figures come from the Rajasthan Municipalities (Election) Rules, 1994. The State Election Commission, Rajasthan conducts both Panchayati Raj and municipal elections in the State.
Deposit amounts sit alongside other conditions for candidates: minimum age of 21 for members, the number of proposers, and the two-child rule.
Because amounts are set by rule and can be revised, a figure should be learned together with the post and the category it belongs to.
Key facts
- Mayor: ₹30,000 deposit for general-category candidates and ₹15,000 for women and for SC, ST and Backward Classes candidates (Rule 78(6)).
- Sabhapati (President): ₹20,000 general and ₹10,000 for women, SC, ST and Backward Classes; Adhyaksh (Chairman): ₹10,000 general and ₹5,000 for the same groups.
- Ward-member deposits for general candidates are ₹2,000 for a Municipal Board, ₹4,000 for a Municipal Council and ₹6,000 for a Municipal Corporation.
- A candidate who files more than one nomination paper deposits the amount only once.
- Article 243ZA vests the superintendence, direction and control of municipal elections in the State Election Commission.
Figures from Rule 78(6) of the Rajasthan Municipalities (Election) Rules, 1994, as substituted in October 2019.
Study next
Common traps
- Taking the Sabhapati's ₹20,000 or the Adhyaksh's ₹10,000 for the Mayor. The three head posts carry three different deposits.
- Using the reserved-category figure. ₹15,000 is the Mayor deposit for women and for SC, ST and Backward Classes candidates; the stem asks for the general category.
- Mixing head-post and ward-member deposits. A general candidate for Municipal Corporation membership deposits ₹6,000, far less than a Mayoral candidate.
A municipal-election question can ask for the deposit for a post and category, an eligibility condition such as minimum age or the two-child rule, or which body conducts the elections.
When the options step through round figures, the post and the category both have to be matched.
Related PYQs
UnlockIAS will link similar questions from RAS Pre 2013 here once that paper is published on this site.
Practice
- practice — not a real PYQ
In Rajasthan, what is the security deposit for a woman candidate contesting the election of Mayor?
- (a)₹ 5,000
- (b)₹ 10,000
- (c)₹ 15,000
- (d)₹ 30,000
Answer(3) — for Mayor, a woman candidate deposits half the general amount, which is ₹15,000. ₹5,000 (1) is the reduced figure (women, SC, ST and Backward Classes) for Adhyaksh. ₹10,000 (2) is the reduced figure for Sabhapati. ₹30,000 (4) is the general-category Mayor deposit. - practice — not a real PYQ
A general-category candidate contesting for the post of Sabhapati (President) in a Rajasthan urban local body must deposit:
- (a)₹ 5,000
- (b)₹ 10,000
- (c)₹ 20,000
- (d)₹ 30,000
Answer(3) — the general-category deposit for Sabhapati is ₹20,000. ₹5,000 (1) is the reduced figure (women, SC, ST and Backward Classes) for Adhyaksh. ₹10,000 (2) is the reduced figure for Sabhapati and the general figure for Adhyaksh. ₹30,000 (4) is the general figure for Mayor.