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Candidate Quality in Zilla Parishads and Panchayat Samitis of Maharashtra
A study on candidate quality of contestants in the zilla parishad and panchayat samiti elections of Maharashtra finds that a majority of the candidates are not highly educated, lack relevant grass-roots experience, are hand-picked by political parties based on non-meritorious criteria, and belong to political families with money power. An analysis of "winnability" of candidates suggests that those from politically connected families, high financial standing and party affiliations stand a higher chance of winning elections.
This article is based on a study that was carried out by the Gokhale Institute of Politics and Economics, Pune at the initiative of the Maharashtra State Election Commission, and funded by the rural development department, Government of Maharashtra. The authors are grateful to the anonymous referees for their comments.
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