Bihar dumps toilet as panchayat polls necessity

Patna: The Bihar Cabinet on Tuesday decided that a toilet in their homes will not be a legal requirement for those wishing to contest Panchayat Elections to be held in March-April.

"The state cabinet chaired by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar has approved a proposal to provide relief to the poorest of the poor not having toilet at home by ending the mandatory requirement of toilet for contesting panchayat polls," an official said.

In August last year, the state assembly passed an amendment to the Bihar Panchayati Raj Act, 2006, that provided for disqualification of a person wishing to contest panchayat elections if he/she did not have "at least one latrine" in their house by the period of January 1, 2016. 

This provision will now be revoked through an ordinance, according to the state cabinet decision on Tuesday.

As per official data, millions of people in Bihar are still living without toilet at home.